Starting Over
by olicitycaptainswanshipper
Summary: AU Felicity moves into her new apartment in a new city where she meets her neighbor Oliver. They don't always get along at first but eventually they might (Hint hint) Written from both of their perspectives. Rated T because I'm a teen, not really because it's that bad. Please review! And I don't own anything obviously! Thanks.
1. Chapter 1

Felicity Smoak loved the way her new apartment looked. It was the first real home she had ever had and she was proud of how put together it looked. She had a brand new couch, well it was brand new to her, and it was actually really comfortable even if the fabric wasn't her favorite. And the coffee table, while it was scratched beyond belief, it was still functional and the perfect size for the small room. The lamp was one of the few things she had bought new, mostly because the one she had before sucked the power of out lightbulbs like crazy and she had spent enough nights in the dark because her lamp decided to stop working in the middle of reading a book.

The kitchen needed a little work, but it was good enough. Everything worked and there was a decent amount of counter space and it wasn't like she cooked all the time anyway.

The bedroom fit her bed and her dresser so it was good enough for her. It even had a window with a small balcony overlooking the city. It wasn't a great view but it was better than her last apartment's. She might even be able to fit a chair out there. She could imagine herself spending the night out there with a book and a glass of wine.

The landlord didn't know much about her neighbors when she asked but he assured her they were good people. She wasn't worried though. She was used to having neighbors that didn't really care what happened to you. They'd let you forget your mail in the elevator even if it had your name and address on it. And they were loud and banged on the walls at all hours of the night. But none of her new neighbors seemed that bad. It was a Thursday night so not exactly party night but her old neighbors never cared what night it was.

She still had a lot of things to unpack, especially in her bedroom but she decided that it didn't all have to get done tonight. She didn't start work until Monday anyway. For now she decided to put on some music and tackle the living room. She liked all of her furniture but she wasn't sure if she liked the way it was set up. The TV wasn't plugged in yet so at least it was still easy to move. She didn't use it much anyway so setting it up wasn't really a priority to her. But the couch was actually really heavy and it was hard for her to move it without losing her breath. After moving it around a little she decided that it was good enough. The rest of the furniture would just have to work because she really didn't want to move anything else.

Oliver Queen was angry when he woke up to the sound of heavy furniture being dragged up the stairs at 9 o'clock in the morning. Didn't those people know they were people still sleeping? But being the gentleman he was he got up and dressed to go see if they needed help. Well actually that wasn't why he got up. He wanted to check them out. See who it was.

Almost everyone that lived in the building were single and fairly nice, a lot of them women. Many of them were attractive and his type but he had moved here to get away from that kind of lifestyle. He didn't want to be the type of person that's slept with everyone in the building. Still, if it was an attractive woman he wanted to know.

He cracked the door open to see what he could. There was nobody in the hall but the door to the room next to his was open and he could hear people inside. Two men walked out of the room and went down the stairs. Neither of them appeared to be the tenant. They came back up shortly after with a couch that looked too small for a family, thankfully. A family would be such boring neighbors. Especially since they would hate him.

He wasn't a bad neighbor. He just occasionally liked to throw Friday night parties that went until 2 a.m. and might include some fairly loud music. If it was a single man or even a woman he could convince them to join him rather than complain to the landlord like the last tenant had. He was really boring. Him and his girlfriend were so uptight that Oliver was thrilled to find out they were planning on moving into a house together. Not because he. Was happy for them, but because that meant they were moving far far away.

Oliver continued to watch the neighbor for 10 minutes before he saw who was actually going to live there. She was a petite young blonde, dressed in a short floral dress and heels that looked beyond uncomfortable certainly did something for her legs. Her golden hair was neatly tied up high. He couldn't see her face but she was definitely attractive. Her voice was calm and sweet when she thanked the men for helping her. She didn't pay them though, which meant they were friends or possibly a boyfriend. The thought should've have upset him. He didn't know her at all, she could be a total bitch for all he knew, but there was just something about her. Whoever she was, he wanted to know her better than anybody.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday morning Felicity got up early, like always, and decided to go for a quick run before heading to the store to look for more furniture. She wanted to get a small patio set for the balcony and some bar stools for the kitchen. There was no room for her old dining room table and she refused to eat on the couch every night.

She hopped up the stairs happily singing along to the song playing on her iPod. It was such a nice day and she hated to waste it in a furniture store but it had to be done.

After she had showered and dressed she grabbed her keys and her phone and threw them in her purse. As she backed out of the room she ran into someone.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry." She said turning to look at him. He was a lot taller than her, with piercing blue eyes that she could have sworn were staring right through her. But his cocky smile told her he was only sharing through her shirt.

"It's alright." He said. "Totally my fault."

His voice was deep enough to melt hearts but she couldn't fall for that again. Not after it had cost her so much the last time. She had broken eye contact with him at least half a dozen times but every time she looked back up he was still staring at her. What was he trying to accomplish?

"So you're the new neighbor then huh?" He asked.

"I am..." She replied. "You live here too?"

"Right next door. I'm Oliver Queen."

"Felicity Smoak."

"I heard you moving in yesterday morning but I figured those guys had it covered and didn't need my help."

"Those guys huh? So you were watching?" His smile faded as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Well I uh-"

"Just wanted to see who the new neighbor was? I guess I understand. Just promise me that spying on me isn't going to become a habit?"

"No I don't think so. Although I would like to get to know you better. After all we are neighbors now. Actually I'm throwing a party tonight if you would like to come."

"Oh so you are a party thrower? Of course you are. But I don't know parties aren't really my thing and I've got a lot of things to unpack still."

"Well if you change your mind you know where to find me."

Felicity had met a lot of guys like Oliver Queen. They had all been trouble and she had fallen for almost every single one of them. But she wouldn't do it again. After the last one she decided to pack up and move. Start a new life somewhere else. It seemed like a good plan. But with Oliver Queen as a neighbor it might be a little harder to stick to than she thought.

Felicity Smoak. It was such a pretty name. Fit a pretty girl like her just fine. He didn't exactly have a type but if he did it would be girls like Felicity. She didn't like him much though, he could tell. There was just something about the way she looked at him, or rather the way she refused, that screamed the fact that she wasn't interested. But he wasn't going to let her give up on him that easily.

He liked her. She was the type of girl that wouldn't put up with his shit and that's the type of girl he needed. Felicity Smoak could certainly handle herself.

He didn't expect her to show up tonight but he wanted her to. More than anything he wanted to see her there. He wanted to see her smile and laugh with other people. He wanted to see her have fun. He wanted to see her be herself. He wanted to know her. But he knew it would take a public setting for her to talk to him.

The way she froze up in the hall as soon as she turned around, that was instinct. She didn't want anything to do with him. He wanted to know why.

He didn't have much for party food but he had plenty of alcohol. He didn't throw parties very often but when he did he tried to make it a good one. That meant there was some shopping to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Shopping for furniture would be so much easier if there were less choices. Maybe she just picked the wrong store, but Felicity didn't want 10 different styles of bar stools that all come in 10 different colors. She just wanted something to sit on.

They of course had to be tall enough, and comfortable, but the rest wasn't important to her. Should she go with the black ones with the backs on them or the gray ones that spun? She kind of just wanted to get one of each and call it quits. But that would look kind of funny and there's really no reason to have mismatching furniture when you bought them new.

After nearly 20 minutes she went with the ones that spun because they seemed more fun. They were heavy though. She couldn't get them into her car by herself so she really didn't know how she was going to get them into her 4th floor apartment. At least there was still room in the car for patio furniture which she hadn't bought at that store because she couldn't find anything that would fit. It didn't need to be big, just a chair and a small table, but they didn't have anything like that and she didn't think she wanted to buy something bigger. Its not like someone else is going to sit out there with her anyway.p

After checking out 3 more stores and finding nothing she decided to just go home. There was plenty of time to look later. But when she got back to the apartment she remembered the problem with the stools.

After dragging one of them out if the back she simply stared at it in defeat. If she could just get it to the elevator maybe she could handle it. But that was so far away and dragging it along the concrete like that would surely leave marks. But she couldn't just pick it up.

"Need some help?" Oliver. She hadn't heard him come up behind her. He was holding a few bags full of groceries, party stuff. "They heavy?" He asked.

"No, I was just thinking they'd look so much nicer out here than in my kitchen." She replied sarcastically, turning to face him. She hoped he didn't notice the way her breath caught when she saw his face. "Yes they're heavy."

"Would you like some help?" He asked.

"Have at it."

He offered her his groceries which she took carefully. The way he picked up that stool made it look like it weighed about the same as a feather. He picked the other ones up with his other hand just as she felt a shiver down her spine. He was strong. Not strong like the guys that had helped her out at the store, where they were only doing it to prove themselves, but strong like it was actually easy for him. Guys like that were kind of her type. And they were trouble too. But all she had to do was pretend she didn't notice. Right?

"So have you changed your mind yet?" Oliver asked. When he saw her struggling in the parking garage he knew it was the perfect time to try and soften her up. Convince her to come to the party.

"What?" She seemed distracted. She was probably arguing with herself in her head. It seemed like the kind of thing she would do. She wanted to go to the party, But something was stopping her. If he could figure out what he woke be a lot happier.

"My party. Are you coming?"

"Oh." She quickly glanced up at him before looking at her feet once again. "I don't know. I don't really go to a lot of parties."

"You work tomorrow or something?"

"What? No. I was just gonna sit around all weekend."

"Well then I think you deserve to have a little fun tonight." He said. "Dancing, drinking, don't tell me that doesn't sound like fun to you."

"I'm not really a dancing person." She said. "And bad things usually happen when I drink."

"I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

She snorted. "Yeah I'm sure." She opened the door to her apartment so he could get in. It was a nice place. Smaller than his, but it was all the same. It probably only had one bedroom instead of two but otherwise everything was the same. He set the stools down by the bar. "Well thanks for the help." She handed him his groceries. "And I'll think about it okay?"

"You do that." He smiled. She was definitely getting to him. His whole plan to not sleep with the neighbors was slowly going out the window.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry Guys ***Not really sure what happened when I copied and pasted this chapter over from google docs but it should be fixed now!

Felicity had no intention of going to that party. She was just going to sit on the couch with a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and watch chick flicks until she fell asleep. But the music he was playing was so loud. And it was good music. It was enticing. She nearly got up 3 times but stopped herself before she got to the door.

"I could just go for minute." She said to herself. But she knew she couldn't just go for a minute. He would never let her do that. "As soon as I walk in he'll see me. He's probably waiting for me by the door." She groaned. This was not supposed to happen.

Life here was supposed to be easier. 9 to 5 job and visits to the library, maybe the gym, occasionally the coffee shop, but no guys. That was her rule. "But I guess I never could follow my own rules." She said, cursing herself for changing her mind. She stuffed her phone in her pocket along with a key to her apartment and left.

The door to his room was cracked open, music flowing through it like a speaker. There were quite a few people in the considering his apartment was hardly bigger than hers. But she didn't recognize a single one of them. That is, until she saw Oliver. Her knees went weak as he smiled at her. She hoped he didn't notice. He was talking to another man but ended the conversation right away and walked toward her.

"You decided to come!" He seemed really happy to see her but he was also probably drunk. "What changed your mind?" He asked. "

Like I could get anything done while you're blasting music in here." She said. It was true. How was she supposed to forget about him with his music interrupting her every thought? "Nobodies even dancing."

"Those people are." He pointed to the corner if the room where the music was coming from. A group of people were dancing. Most of them were just making out, but some of them were dancing. "But you don't dance."

"No I do not. Look I really don't know why I came I guess I was just curious. But I think I'm good now."

"Oh no, you are not going back home. What are you going to do there anyway? Watch chick flicks?"

"How did you know?"

"I could just tell. Come on, I'll get you a drink."

"No Oliver I-"

He wouldn't have it. He was going to show her a good time if it was the last thing he did. He felt bad about getting her drunk in order to get her to open up, but it was working. After only a couple drinks she was becoming less defensive and more like herself. "

Why did you move here?" He asked. He wasn't trying to pry but he wanted to know why she was so quick to turn him away when she didn't even know him.

"Needed a fresh start." She said. "My last relationship didn't end that great and I decided after that I needed a change of pace. So I applied for a new job and packed my stuff and left. It's going to be better here. It has to be."

The sadness that spread across her face indicated that he needed to stop. A bad break up was reason enough for the way she reacted around him, and he was going to respect that.

"No more party for you." He said. "I'm taking you home."

"What no? Oliver its only 11:30."

"Yeah but you can't hold your liquor. Besides you're tired, I can tell. Come on."

He dragged her through the crowd shutting the door behind him. It blocked off some of the sound but not all of it. He hoped it would be better inside her apartment.

"Do you have a key?" She nodded searching through her pockets.

"Where did I put it? Oh, I know." She handed him the key and he quickly opened the door and pulled her inside.

It was a lot quieter inside her was an array of DVDs on the coffee table, remnant of what she was doing before. Felicity was crashing right there next to him.

"Here come on let's get you cleaned up." He told her to go get changed while he got her a glass of water but when he came back she was curled up sleeping on the middle of the bed. Her shoes were still on her feet. He laughed as he carefully look them off and turned off the lamp. She would regret that position in the morning but she looked so peaceful in her sleep that he didn't want to bother her.

When he went back to his own place the volume of the music seemed incredibly high.

"I took her home." Oliver said to his friend Tommy. "She fell asleep immediately."

"How drunk did she get?" He asked.

"Not very much." He said grabbing a beer from the cooler.

"She just can't hold her alcohol very well. Plus she was getting too honest and she'd hate me in the morning if I let her say anything else."

"I just find it hard to believe you put her to bed instead of took her to bed. You really are trying to change aren't you?"

"Well it's a little harder than I thought. Having her as a neighbor is just... Its going to be tough. But she said that she moved here because of a bad break-up and I've got to respect that. She's probably not looking for another relationship right now, so I'm not going to push her."

"So what are you going to do?"

Oliver smiled. He had a plan. It might not be a good plan, But it was something.


	5. Chapter 5

Felicity woke up hurting all over. She hadn't had that much to drink in a really long time and there was a good reason for that. But based on what she could remember from last night, it had been fun, regardless of the consequences.

When she first heard the banging she thought it was just her head but then she realized it was coming from the front door. She opened it to find Oliver with a cup of coffee in each hand.

"I just wanted to check on you." He said. "Can I come in?" She opened the door wider so he could follow her in.

"Is one of those for me?" She pointed to the coffee. He handed her one. It was rich and creamy and just what she needed. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"You know you can't hold your liquor very well."

"Yeah thanks. It's kind of a curse. I didn't by chance say anything I might not have meant right?"

"Well you did say something about me being gorgeous."

"I did not!"

"You did!"

"No I didn't. Why would I say that?"

"Why would you lie?"

"What do you mean why would I lie? Are you really that full of yourself?"

"Maybe I am but you're the one that said it."

"Ugh I am not having this conversation with you. Thanks for the coffee, but I've got a lot of stuff to do today and none of it involves you."

She was lying. She had no plans for the day. In fact she considered going back to bed for a few hours, maybe making some pancakes later, and then probably just surf the internet for good deals on patio furniture. But he didn't need to know any of that. She already probably told him more last night than she ever should have.

"Well if you're sure." He said, his perfect smile faltering just a bit. "I'll be on my way then."

She closed the door behind him, her eyes shut tight as if it would stop her head from pounding. She tried to convince herself it was only the hangover but deep down she knew better than that. Oliver Queen was trouble. So what if he took her home last night when she was drunk, and then checked on her in the morning with coffee, exactly the way she liked? He didn't do it because he's trying to be a good neighbor. He's doing it because he wants to get in her pants. Felicity had fallen for many guys exactly like that, but she couldn't do it again. Not even if he WAS gorgeous.

"So how's it go with the girl?" Tommy asked. He had stayed over at Olivers after the party like he had done every time since they've been friends. He helped him plan the party, he enjoyed the crap out of the party, and then he stayed to clean up the mess.

"She's cracking." Oliver said. "She doesn't want to but she is. Sooner or later she'll give in."

"And then what are you going to do? You're neighbors Oliver. If you just have a fling and never talk again it would be the awkwardest thing ever to have to see her every day. You said it yourself, you respect the fact that she just broke up with someone, so I mean, what happens next? What's your endgame?"

"Well hopefully 3 kids and a nice house with a white picket fence. Maybe a dog."

"You're serious? Oliver that's crazy talk. You? Kids?"

"Its not crazy Tommy. It's time to grow up. Felicity is exactly the kind of girl I've always wanted. Maybe I didn't see it until I met her, but its true. That's the kind of life I want to lead."

"Well I hate to break it to you Oliver, but I don't think she's interested in that. She doesn't even seem to like you very much..."

"Yes she does. She's just scared. I probably remind her of her ex boyfriend or something. But I'll show her what I'm really like. Its going to take time though. She needs to trust me. And I know how to make her."

Tommy knew better than to ask how. Oliver had always come up with these crazy plans that he never thought through enough to explain them to others.

"So what'd you say to her this moening anyway? I swore I heard yelling."

"I told her she called me gorgeous last night."

"Did she?"

"Nope. But I really made her believe that she did, and she was not happy. She said I was full of myself, which I suppose isn't entirely a lie but it hurt coming from her. So maybe that wasn't the right way to go with her, but it really made her think. She had that "Oh shit did I say that out loud?" face. So what if she didn't say it, she thought it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know, I just... I know okay. It's Felicity. She's different."

"If you say so. Now give me a hand. This is your mess anyway."

"It was your party too."

"Your apartment, your music, your booze, your mess."

"Fine, fine. Hand me the broom will you?"


	6. Chapter 6

On Monday Felicity started her new job as head of the tech department at the local store. It wasn't a glamorous job, didn't pay too much, but it allowed Felicity to do what she loved most. Fixing stuff. Computers, cameras, phones, you name it, she could fix it.

Her first day was really boring. There were hardly any problems that couldn't be solved by turning it off and back on again. The one problem that they actually needed Felicity's help with was when someone brought in a laptop in which her child had shoved logos inside. How she managed that nobody was sure, but Felicity was the only one who was ballsy enough to crack the sucker open and pry them out. That was the highlight of her day, unfortunately.

On the way home she picked up a pizza for dinner since she hadn't time to buy groceries yet. That was definitely going on the to-do list for tomorrow. She still hadn't found a patio set either so that was on the list too.

She finished off the pint of ice cream she had started earlier that weekend. It was the perfect ending to a boring day. Then again, she hadn't seen Oliver since the day after the party so no matter what she did it was boring in comparison.

On Tuesday after work she picked up the basic groceries, plus a box of cookies, since she had a weakness for anything chocolate. When she got home she took the box with her and stood out on the balcony for a long time. Most of it she spent thinking, sometimes she would hum or sing a song she loved, but mostly she just stared at the people and cars down below. It was a quiet night, few people were even out, but those that were out seemed a lot happier than she did.

"Starting over was supposed to be easier than this." She muttered.

Her last boyfriend Kyle had been everything she had ever wanted. He was sweet, he was smart, he had a good job, and nice friends, everything about him was perfect. Of course none of it was real.

Kyle was a jerk. Their relationship had seemed so perfect until she found him in bed with one of her friends, and that of course was all she could take. It just proved to her how wrong she had been about him from the start. She moved out of the apartment they shared and lived out of her car for a week before she found this place. It was a hard week but it seemed like her life was getting better when she found such a good deal on this place and a job nearby. But things are never as good as they seem.

Oliver had dated a lot of women over the years, a lot of them he never saw again. They were all mistakes though. Felicity is the only woman he really wanted. When he saw her standing out on her balcony all alone, he could have sworn she was crying, and he almost went to talk to her, but the chance that it would actually help her wasn't very high. Whatever it was she was dealing with, she needed to deal with it herself.

It hurt to see her cry though. He knew it wasn't his fault, but somehow it seemed like it was.

After what seemed like forever he decided that he had to go out there. What the hell, he figured, I'll just go out and talk to her, maybe it'll help.

"Felicity?" He called. And soon as she saw him she wiped her eyes as if he wouldn't notice that she had been crying that way. "You okay?"

"Oliver, hi, yeah, I'm... Fine."

"Yeah I can tell. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"With you? No not really."

"Why not? What is it about me that turns you off so quickly?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't trust me. Why not? I haven't done anything bad to you, I've been nice, I've helped you out, I've done everything I could to make you see that I am a good guy and you- You just don't want anything to with me."

"Oliver it's not what you think-"

"I like you Felicity I really do, but you won't even give me a chance."

"Its more complicated than you know Oliver. It's not you, well, it is, but it's not. I'm so confused. Will you just come over here?" He nodded, confused himself.

"Well this is a start I guess." He said quietly. "If she's inviting me over she's at least warming up to me a little."

She opened the door for him, sitting down on one of the barstools he carried up for her the other day.

"What do you mean it's complicated?" He asked softly.

"All my life I've fallen for the wrong type of people. No matter how hard I try they're always wrong, and I always pay the price. When I moved here I was hell bent on starting fresh. A better life. Better place, better job, better friends, but I promised myself no guys. Guys always equal heartbreak. So... it's not you Olivier. No matter what you do or say I'm still going to have to accept that I just can't deal with... anything. Not right now."

"You don't have to Felicity. I understand that. I just want to make sure you have someone here. Someone you can trust, someone you can rely on if you need help. I do like you Felicity, but I'm willing to wait if you're not ready. No heartbreak, I promise. Just friends."

Just friends was the last thing he wanted, but he had to start somewhere, and if starting out slowly was what she needed, then that's what he would do. He just hoped he hadn't friendzoned himself forever.


	7. Chapter 7

Friends? Felicity could do friends, couldn't she? People always say you can't be friends with the opposite sex but people are wrong. She needed a friend anyway. Things with her other friends were rocky after she had broken up with Kyle. She hadn't told them what happened with him, she had already set her mind on skipping town, but they wouldn't have been able to help her anyway. But Oliver, he might be able to.

"Friends." She said, trying the word out loud. it sounded weird, even to her. being friends with Oliver wouldn't be easy, but they could always become more than friends in the future couldn't they? "Okay."

"Okay." He said with a smile.

"But we might have to have rules. Number one being no smiling like that."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's too… sexy. Friends don't smile at friends like that."

"This is my normal smile."

"I doubt it."

"Well fine. If I'm not allowed to do that then you are not allowed to twirl your hair."

"I don't do that."

"Yes you do. You do it all the time. It's too tempting."

"Fine." Do I really do that? She thought. Probably.

"That too. That little thing you do where you bite your lip while you think. You can't do that either."

"Umm... okay."

"You don't even realize you're doing it? Great."

"Its not my fault! I'm sure you do a lot of things without realizing it."

"Well I'm pretty sure none of them are as sexy as that."

"Am I going to have to put a ban on that word too? Gosh what is it with you?"

"You're the one that said it the first time."

"And you were the one that was doing the... thing. Just shut up. Cookie?"

"It's 10 o'clock at night and you're eating cookies?"

"Don't judge me. I have a weakness for chocolate."

"Hmm, personally I'm more of a vanilla kind of guy, but these are good too." She tried not to take that as the sexual innuendo he intended it to be, but it was hard.

"Hmm, just eat your cookie." She turned to face the fridge. "Do you want something to drink? I bought some lemonade, and some beer, or I dug out my coffee maker this morning."

"A beer's fine thanks. So how are you liking it here?"

"Honestly?" She leaned against the counter across from him. "It's not as easy as I thought it would be. I guess I just expected my past to stay in the past you know? But it's not."

"What do you mean?"

"My ex-boyfriend Kyle was a real jerk. We dated for like 9 months before I found him in bed with my friend. That was the last straw you know? We lived together, we worked together, I knew I couldn't stay. I packed up and left that day. There was nobody to go to, so I lived out of my car until I felt like my luck had changed and I found this place. But things aren't that different here. My job's still boring 99% of the time, I still don't make the kind of money I want, I still feel alone-"

"You are not alone. You have me. And I'm sorry about Kyle. It sucks to get cheated on, but it's not your fault you know? Guys are just jerks."

"I know, but it wasn't the first time. I just know a lot of jerks I guess."

"Well it's a good thing you're looking for at fresh start then. Its hard, I know. I'm working on changing myself."

"Changing what?"

"I'm just trying to be more grown up. I'm trying to throw less parties, date less women, drink less, just... try to be a better version of myself. I want to settle down someday you know, I can't keep living like a college boy forever."

"What brought that on? One of your friends get married or something?"

"Engaged actually. But yeah, I mean he is a few years older than me, but he seems so happy talking about a future with her and it made me realize that I want that too. So I'm starting slow, I'm obviously not going to get married right now or anything, it just made me realize that I do want to, eventually."

"Well that's good. Its a good goal." Talking about marriage made her sweat. Even if it wasn't about her.

Oliver stayed over for about an hour before she announced that she was going to bed since she had to go to work, and like it or not, but he had to go home.

It was okay though. They had a nice conversation, for the most part anyway. She had a sweet exterior, but on the inside she was fiery. She never said anything rude, but she was sarcastic as hell sometimes. And he loved it. He slept well that night, dreaming of his new friend. In the morning outside his car Tommy gave him all sorts of crap for friend-zoning himself but Oliver was quick to defend himself.

"I know what I'm doing Tommy. You think I don't know how to get a girl?" He asked.

"I think you're taking the long way with this one that's for sure." He replied. "You're wasting your time man."

"You just don't understand. With a girl like Felicity… this is the only way. You'll see. I'm happy Tommy, can't you see? Do you see this smile on my face? I'm doing a good thing with my life. You should be looking up to me Tommy. Oh wait, you always do."

"A short joke? Really?"

Oliver shrugged. "It felt right. Now are we going to work or what?"

"You're driving!" Tommy said.

"Oh. Right. Well get in then."

Oliver was bored all through work. Him and Tommy worked at an insurance company downtown. A desk job wasn't exactly what Oliver imagined himself doing, but Tommy's father found him the job when he desperately needed one so he couldn't quit. He didn't know what else he would rather do anyway.

He wished he could text Felicity but he knew she was working too. She said her job was boring too, but she never mentioned what it was. He should have asked. He didn't have any guesses. There were a lot of things he could see her doing. She wasn't a teacher for sure, though he imagined she'd be pretty good at it. She must work in some sort of store, he thought. She leaves around 9 and she comes home around 5, so nothing too extraordinary. But which store?

He made a mental note to ask her when he go home. Maybe they could do dinner together. Nothing too fancy just take out or something.

When he got home she was already there, music playing in her apartment. He stopped to hear her singing along. She had a good voice, and the sound quality of the speakers was impressive. How did she get it to sound that good?

Before he could stop himself, convince himself that he should go home first, he was knocking on her door.

She lowered the volume of the music, opening the door for him.

"Hi." She said sounding like she had just been caught red-handed. Which was true, if she didn't want him to know that she could sing.

"You're a good singer." He said letting himself in. "I could hear you all the way from the elevator."

"Sorry." She blushed. "I couldn't help myself. I set up the speakers, and then I had to use them."

"You set them up? How did you get them to sound so clear?"

"Just a little techie secret. It's kind of my specialty. Tech I mean, not just speakers. It's always been a hobby of mine."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Well it's not what I expected. Don't get me wrong, it's great, I just, I don't know I pictured you doing something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't really know."


	8. Chapter 8

Seeing Oliver at her door was kind of a surprise. She was grateful, because he was her only friend, but he hadn't even gone home first, it was obvious.

"So what are you doing tonight?" He asked.

"Umm well nothing ?"

"Well I was thinking maybe we could do dinner or something. You know, platonically."

"Dinner? Well… I am hungry. But I was planning on shopping for furniture later. I've been looking for something to put out on my balcony."

"Well how do you feel about hamburgers? I know a place downtown. We could look at furniture after."

It was hard to make it sound like it wasn't a date, going out to dinner together, but they could handle it couldn't they?

"Sure, sure, yeah we can do dinner. Just um let me get my coat, and you you probably want to change clothes too don't you?"

"I suppose. Meet you at the elevator in 10 minutes?"

"Okay."

It only took her like 2 minutes to grab a coat, put on some shoes, fix her hair, and put her phone in her purse. She went out to the elevator to wait for him.

He came out just a minute after her, that stupid smile on her face. She banned that smile. But it was so cute she couldn't yell at him.

"Ready to go?" He asked. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Sure." She said.

They took Olivers car, a royal blue Mustang. It was quiet on the way to the restaurant. Neither of them knew what to talk about. They both knew that what they were doing was dangerously close to a date and they both knew they probably shouldn't be doing it, but it was better than sitting in their apartments all night.

"So this place," Felicity asked. "It's good?"

"Best hamburgers in town. The French fries are pretty great too. And the milkshakes too. You're just going to have to try everything I guess."

She laughed. "I suppose that would be okay."

"It's the kind of place that plays 50s music, the girls wear poodle skirts, they do car shows on the weekends, I really like it. My friend Tommy and I usually go on Saturday nights."

"Car shows? I used to go to car shows all the time.."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I love cars. My brothers used to take me when I was little and when I got older I went with my friends. I haven't been to one in years. Kyle wasn't a car kind of guy."

"Well that's weird. Everyone likes cars. I'll take you to a show. You can come with Tommy and I if you'd like." Going with a friend of his made it seem less like a date so she quickly agreed.

The food arrived shortly after they ordered. Oliver waited patiently for Felicity to try it. He wanted to see the expression on her face.

"This is amazing." She said. "How could they make something so good?"

"Well, they might say good old fashioned love, but I say with lots and lots of calories." He said.

"That sounds like a more realistic answer." She replied. "But either way, it doesn't matter to me."

"Just wait until you try the milkshakes. I could live off of those."

He probably could, she thought. Though he would have to exercise a lot to maintain that body of his. Not that she noticed.

Conversation was scarce all through dinner. Neither of them knew what to say to make it feel less like a date. With anyone else it would have been a piece of cake, but with Oliver...

But really what was so wrong with it being a date? The fact that Oliver was willing to be friends because that's what she wanted shows a lot. He seemed like a genuine good guy. Someone who would put her first, even if she didn't want him to, someone who would drop everything to help her, someone with a sense of humor, and put up with her sarcasm, someone who... was worth taking a risk for.

At least that's what she wanted to believe. She wasn't sure yet if she could trust anyone that much again, but if she could, It would be Oliver.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Oliver was staring at her.

"What?"

"You're beautiful." He said.

"Oliver-"

"I know, I know, friends don't say that. Kick me if it makes you feel better. But I'm not taking it back."

She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to let it slide, but she didn't want to be made either. So she said nothing.

"So what are you looking for?" Oliver asked. After they had finished eating they headed to a furniture store for Felicity. He wasn't sure if anything would fit in his car but he'd isn't want to tell her because then they'd just go home and he wouldn't get to spend any more time with her.

"Just something small. One maybe two chairs, and a table. I just want to be able to spend time-" He pushed her into the couch they were walking by. He did it to his sister Thea all the time and it always made shopping a lot more fun.

"Did you really just do that?" She asked. She looked mad but she didn't sound that mad.

"Afraid so. Here I'll help you up." She obviously didn't need his help though because when he took her hand to pull her up she pulled him down next to her. "Oh so you're gonna fight dirty huh?" He said. " I see how it is."

She smiled. "I always fight dirty."

They continued to push each other into every couch they passed on the way to the outdoor furniture. And by the end they each had giant smiles on their faces. It was the most fun Oliver had had with anyone other than Tommy in months. By the. Ime they got town at they were actually there for they were both out of breath.

Felicity sat down at the first table she saw. "How about this one?" She asked before she lay head on the table.

"Well I don't know if it will fit in my car..." Oliver said.

Her head popped up. "Oh my gosh you jerk! None of this is going to fit in your car! Why didn't you tell me!"

"I didn't think about it! We can still look though. Come back tomorrow with your car."

She glared at him. "Fine. But you have to come with me to get it."

He smiled. That wasn't really a punishment but he didn't say that. He had already reached his limit of "things you shouldn't say to your friends" for the night. But tomorrow was a new day.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I've already started on Chapter 10, but I am officially on vacation so I don't have as much time to write, so I'm not sure when it'll be up. I'm trying to get it done as fast as I can! It's going to be good though, I promise. It's the chapter we've all been waiting for! Hope you like this one, I had a lot of fun with it. Please review! Thanks!**

Felicity was psyched to go to the car show on Saturday with Oliver and Tommy. She told herself it was because of the cars but she knew it was partially because of Oliver.

She didn't know what to wear that night. She had gone to a lot of shows in the last but not with Oliver.

She changed out of her work uniform into a tank top and shorts while she looked through her closet. Oliver was used to seeing her in floral dresses, because that was the mood she had been in lately, but there was a different side to her wardrobe too. The side that fit in with loving cars and rock music.

She had an assortment of leather jackets behind the brightly colored dresses. Normally she wore skinny jeans and a lacy tank top with her leather jackets but on occasion she wore a dress under her jacket. This was one of those occasions.

She pulled out a fitted red dress, one if the sexier dresses she owned, and a black leather jacket. She looked at her shoes, arguing with herself that heels weren't practical for a night out with the boys, but maybe flats were okay. She matched that with her signature high ponytail and flashy red lipstick. She just hoped Oliver wouldn't care.

She met at the elevator, like they usually did. He was already there waiting when she opened her door. He was texting when she came out but as soon as she walked up he heard her.

"Holy sh..." He seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Does this look okay? Do you think its too-"

"No." He said maybe a little too quickly. "No it's great. Ready to go? Tommy said he would meet us there."

"Okay. Yeah let's go."

She felt his eyes on her all the way down to the car. She didn't mind, as long as he wasn't judging. She knew this wasn't what he was used to, but it wasn't like it wasn't her.

Before Kyle she had worn leather all the time. But he didn't approve of that part if her personality, so she stuck to bright colors. But now, with Oliver, she felt more at liberty to dress how she wanted to.

"So... What's up with the wardrobe change?" Oliver asked in the car. "Not that I don't like it, it just doesn't seem like you."

"Actually this is more me than the floral dresses and stuff, but I've been wearing floral since I met Kyle so..."

"He wouldn't let you wear that?"

"No. He didn't want me looking too sexy for anybody but him. But I feel like I should be able to wear whatever I want. It's not like the dress is too low, or too short, I'm not that kind of person, it's just not pink. He likes pink. He thinks it's safe. Girly. He doesn't like red or black at all. Normally I wear a combination of both. Floral or pink dress and a leather jacket. That's just my style."

"Well I think you look perfect. It totally goes with the tough car-loving chick you seem to be."

"Well good. That's what I was going for. I just didn't want it to be too risque."

"No, no you're good. You'll be the most beautiful girl there. I promise."

"You're just saying that."

"Maybe. But I mean it. You look really good. But not just tonight, every day. Poor Tommy has no idea what you look like. He's going to be shocked."

"If you say so." She said. "So how are you two friends?"

"We've been friends for as long as I can remember. He and I were in diapers together, we were in school together, we went to college together, and now we work together.

"Wow. So basically, when you're not with me, you're with him."

"Yeah I guess so." He laughed. "We used to be roommates too but he got his own place a few months ago."

"It's good that you have a friend like that."

"You never have?"

"I've had friends, and my coworkers are usually pretty nice. I have a sister too. We used to be really close. Not so much anymore I guess. Friends weren't really a priority of mine when I moved here. I just wanted to start over, I wasn't exactly looking to get involved with anything, or anybody."

"Well You must have changed your mind. I mean, you have me."

"I did change my mind." She said. About a lot of things actually, she thought. "I didn't expect it to be easier with friends. I thought it would make it more complicated. And maybe it does, but that doesn't mean I regret it. Without you, I'd be sitting at home reading a book or something. This is way better than that."

"I'm glad you think so. To be honest, doing stuff like this with Tommy isn't always that great. He doesn't care much for the cars, he just likes the girls. And the food."

"Well the cars are my favorite part, but I guess that's good too." She laughed along with him. Tommy sounded like a good friend for Oliver. And if he liked him, she would probably like him too.

Felicity looked really good in that outfit. She seemed so unsure of herself when she stepped out of her apartment, but it really does seem more like her than anything else he'd seen her in. It made her choice in music, and her love of cars make a little more sense.

He didn't like it because it was sexy, although it was, he liked it because it was her. It made sense. And she really would be the most beautiful girl there tonight, but she was wherever she went.

When they pulled into the parking lot her face immediately lit up. The music was already going strong, and the air smelled strongly of motor oil and French fries.

"I love that smell." She said. "It smells like Saturday night. Not because it's Saturday night right now but because this is how I used to spend Saturday nights. In a parking lot full of old cars with a bag of French fries and my dad's old records."

"That's how you spent your Saturday nights?"

"Some of them. The best one's."

"Do you fix up cars? I know it's not technical like computers and stuff, but it's got to be similar."

"I know the basics. But I wouldn't be able to fix a car like these. Do you know how?"

"I probably know about as much as you. I wish I knew more but my dad wasn't really into that kind of thing."

"Neither was mine. I snuck out and helped out at the auto shop not to far away. Well I tried to help. I mostly just watched. But I learned."

"That's good. There's Tommy."

To my was talking to Mr. Young, the owner of a 1965 Mustang. It was one of Tommy's favorites, and Mr. Young had become a good friend of theirs over the years.

"Oliver!" Tommy exclaimed. "Oh and Felicity! This is Felicity?"

"Tommy-" Oliver started. His friend had a tendency to say things he shouldn't.

"You are smoking." He said to her. "Gorgeous. You guys look so good together. I know, I know, "friends", but between you and me," He pulled Felicity close. "You two are terrible at being friends."

"Tommy, I think you should stop." Oliver said.

"Oliver he's fine." She said quietly, touching his arm. It was light, but she had never done it before. "It's not like he's saying anything we don't already know."

He stared at her incredulously. What was that supposed to mean? Did it mean what he thought it meant? Was she finally starting to see?

"So Felicity, what's a girl like you doing at a place like this?" Tommy asked.

"Are you kidding? This is one of my favorite places in the world. Second to behind a computer."

"So a car girl and a smart girl. I like you." Felicity smiled. She seemed to like Tommy too. That was good. Oliver was kind of worried That Tommy would be too... outgoing, for Felicity. But that didn't seem to be the case. "Well I'm going to go grab some beers. Might take me a little while zoo you two..."

"Yeah, thanks Tommy." Oliver said. As soon as he walked away he said to Felicity. "I'm sorry about him. Sometimes he's- "

"No, he's fine. I've been meaning to talk to you anyway."

"About what?"

"Well I just-"

"Oliver?" It was a voice he knew all too well. It was Laurel, his ex-girlfriends. She was going to ruin everything. Felicity was so close to admitting that she didn't want to be friends anymore, at least that's what he thought, but she might not now.

"Laurel, hi." He groaned inside. Tommy and Laurel we're still friends, so if he could direct her to Tommy before she said too much, Felicity might still finish her sentence.

"How've you been? It's been a long time since I've seen you anywhere. You haven't been throwing as many parties lately." She said. Laurel was as bad as Tommy when it comes to patties. She loved them, would go to them every day if useful me.

"Well I've been trying." Oliver said.

"Who's this? She looked at Felicity, a look of jealousy on her race. "I thought out usually came to these things with Tommy."

"This is Felicity." He said careful not to add any label. Neighbor, friend, possible girlfriend, at the moment it didn't matter. "Felicity this is Laurel, my ex-girlfriend."

"Hi." Felicity was,clearly uncomfortable with the wholesale situation. She would probably be more comfortable talking to a car than talking to Laurel. "Tommy's here too."

"He went to get beers." Oliver added. "Why don't you go wait with him? I feel bad we're not."

"Yeah sure. I'll see you later?"

"Sure." Oliver nodded, thankful she was already leaving. "I'm sorry." He said turning to Felicity. "I didn't know she would be here."

"It's okay. I know how exes are."

"So about what you were saying-"

"Forget about it." She said. "It's not important."

"Felicity yes it is." He grabbed her shoulders. She tensed, but she didn't pull away. "Yes it is."

"No, Oliver, it's not. Forget I said anything. Please."

"Okay." He didn't want to forget about it though. He wanted to help her. Whatever she wanted to say, she should say it. But he wasn't going to push her. He would just have to wait.


	10. Chapter 10

She wanted to tell him that she had been wrong before. That being friends wasn't what she wanted anymore. But seeing his ex at the car show made her stop. She didn't want to end up just like her. She didn't want to be another one of Oliver's exes who still clearly love him even though he no longer showed any interest in them.

So she didn't tell him anything. The car show was still fun. Tommy was exactly as Oliver said he would be, and the cars were amazing. Felicity tried her best to think about them instead of Oliver.

On Sunday she got up early so Oliver wouldn't hear her and left for the day. She felt like she was sneaking out to avoid him, which really, she was. She didn't know exactly where she would go but she packed a bag in case she decided to stay out all day. The longer she stayed out, the longer she had to think.

She couldn't stop thinking about Oliver. She really wanted to, but every time she had a moment with nothing else to do she thought about him. About his smile, his laugh, his voice, everything. She hated herself for it for a while. By noon though, she had given up on trying. She missed him. She wished she wasn't such a coward. But she knew she had her reasons for running away.

But she wanted to be with him. She knew it might be a mistake, that if things went south she might have to move again, but none of that seemed that important anymore.

She stayed out all day, shopping, walking around, doing anything to avoid going home. She drove far away, the music playing in her car distracting her for a while. But soon it became late and the clouds became dark. The storm they had talked about on the news earlier was finally coming. And it was big. She quickly turned the car around, heading for home.

"No, no, no, this can't be happening to me." She knew that going out in the worst storm of the decade was a bad idea, but she didn't expect it to be bad enough to stop her. She shouldn't have gone so far away from home.

She wasn't even close to home yet. She was at least half an hour out of the city, in the middle of a deserted freeway, during a thunderstorm, at midnight on a Sunday, and her car had broken down. It was like the worst thing that could have happened.

She dug her phone out of her purse, thankfully finding that she still had service. Without a doubt she knew she had to call Oliver. Nobody else in the world would get up in the middle of the night to help her. She wasn't even sure if he would. After all, she had avoided his texts all day.

"Please pick up." She said into the phone as it was dialing. It was pouring rain on her windshield, and she could hardly hear it, but it was the only option she had. Waiting for the storm to die out could end badly. "Oliver!"

"Felicity it's midnight. Is something wrong?" He sounded like he was half asleep, but still concerned.

"I'm stuck in the middle of the freeway, my car broke down. I don't know what else to do."

"You're stuck? Didn't you know about the storm?"

"I thought I could outrun it! I didn't think I would be out this long-"

"Hey it's okay. Tell me where you are, I'll come get you."

It took him 45 minutes to get there. She knew exactly what she had to do by then.

She saw his car pull up behind hers, the bright lights of his corvette shining harshly in the pitch dark. She got out of the car to meet him, completely forgetting about the rain.

"Come on, get in the car!" Oliver exclaimed, his clothes were immediately soaked by the pouring rain, as hers were. "You're getting soaked!"

"No, there's something I want to say first." She said standing her ground. There was only a step between them.

"Right now? Felicity do you not see this rain? Come on! We can talk in the car."

"No. You came all the way out here, in the middle of the night, during a freaking thunderstorm, and all you care about is that I'm getting wet?"

"Yeah, so? Felicity you're going to get hypothermia."

"I don't care."

And with that, she kissed him. She had wanted to for so long and the second her lips touched his she couldn't remember the reason she had waited. His body responded to hers immediately, melting her against him. Their wet bodies fit together so perfectly, yet he pushed her away.

"Felicity." He whispered, his head only inches from hers. "I thought you said-"

"Screw what I said." She kissed him again, her back leaning against her car. She was soaked and freezing but she didn't care.

After a bit they decided it was probably best to get out of the rain. They were both freezing, though they would never admit it out loud. Oliver had covered the inside if the car with towels and cranked up the heat. Neither of them spoke the whole way back. They didn't know what to say. Felicity was simply concentrating on defrosting.

They got back to the apartment, thankful that the parking lot was covered. The rain had subsided a little bit, but there was still thunder and lightning every couple seconds.

Oliver wrapped a still shivering Felicity in his jacket. It was warm and smelled just like him. She didn't think she would ever take it off.

In the elevator he kissed her, and she wished she lived higher up than the 5th floor so the ride would be longer.

When they got up to their rooms they both knew they had to talk. Should she invite him in? What would they do? Should she tell him to go back home and they could hang out tomorrow night like they had planned before? Or should she go home with him? It was late and they both had to work in the morning but was that a good enough reason to stop this?

"Oliver." She stopped him with her back against the door. "We should talk about this."

"Okay." But she could tell he didn't want to talk.

"No Oliver I'm serious. Maybe we should wait until morning."

"If you want." He kissed her again and her mind went blank. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to get anything done with him around.

"No, I meant maybe you should go home. I don't work tomorrow, if you want to come over?" She said.

"Is it going to be strictly talking? Because if it is I'm inclined to stay here a little bit longer."

She laughed. "No, I'll make some coffee and we can do... other things."

"Well then I'll be there." He smiled. "We'll have to go get your car in the morning too."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that."

"Hmm, I wonder what would have caused you to do such a thing." He kissed her, just barely touching his lips to hers. It was not nearly enough, but it was all she would get. "Goodnight Felicity."

Not once had he ever gotten a call at midnight that had resulted in something so great. Sure he was completely soaked, and had no chance of going back to sleep, and he would have to call in sick at work tomorrow so he could hang out with her, but in the grand scheme of things, it was all worth it. It had only taken her a week to give in, and in his eyes, that was a good thing.

It meant that she liked him as much as he liked her.

He stayed up late that night, or rather morning, falling asleep around 5 and waking back up at 8. He texted Tommy to tell him he wouldn't be going to work that day.

"Long night?" He texted back.

"You have no idea." Oliver said. "I'll tell you later."

He wasn't sure when to head over to Felicity's. He didn't want to wake her up, she had been up as late as he had, and it was her day off after all. But then he heard a crash, followed by a curse from Felicity, and he knew she would get up to clean up whatever had fallen so he might as well go over there.

"It's open!" She called when he knocked on the door.

"Where are you?" None of the lights in the kitchen were on but there were lights coming from the hall.

"In the bathroom." She said. There was a bunch of shattered glass in the floor, from what must have been a mirror earlier. She had swept it up into a pile out of the way and was wrapping a bandage around her forearm. She was still in her pajamas, a black tank top and pink shorts, and her hair was up like it always was, but it wasn't as clean as she normally wore it. She must have just woken up.

"Did this just happen?" He asked. "I thought I heard a crash."

"Yeah it wasn't supposed to fall." She said, clearly annoyed with the pile of glass at her feet. "I guess I'll just have to buy a new one."

"It cut you?"

"Yeah... I tried to catch it... It's not that bad though, I just didn't like seeing the blood."

"I could have helped you. Why were you messing with it anyway?"

"It wasn't straight." She said with a pouty face that was way too cute. "I was only trying to move it to the left a little bit, but apparently it would rather be on the floor in a million pieces." She said bitterly.

"Well if you're done being mad at it, I'll clean it up for you if you want to go get dressed."

"You're so funny." She said sarcastically turning out of the bathroom. "I liked that mirror." She said from her bedroom. "And I liked my arm too, before it got all cut up."

"I thought you said it wasn't that bad."

"I lied." She said popping her head back in, wearing a red leather jacket over the tank top, and a pair of jeans replacing the pink shorts. "But I'm fine. Should I make coffee? I could make pancakes too."

"Sure. Whatever you want. You're the one that wanted to talk." He said, dumping the rest of the glass into the trash can.

"I know. And Oliver?" She kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks for cleaning that up."

He followed her into the kitchens, trying his best to not run up and kiss her. She wanted to talk, like normal couples do. He could do that.

She started the coffee pot and got out the ingredients for pancakes. He tried not to notice the thin black tattoo on the otherwise clear sliver of skin she exposed when she reached for the milk at the back of the refrigerators. It was a tramp stamp, but a tasteful one. So small he couldn't even tell what it was.

She mixed the batter, humming a song in her head, seemingly unaware he was even there. It kind of made him smile to see her like that. She was a messy baker too. She spilled flour all down her shirt and all over the counter top and she didn't seem to want to clean it up either.

"Why don't you let me do that?" He said pushing her away from the griddle.

"You know how to make pancakes?" She asked skeptically.

"Of course I know how to make pancakes." He said "What kind of person doesn't know how to make pancakes?" She shrugged.

"Well I'd like to see this." She sat across from him on one of the barstools.

"So..." He said. "Got any other tattoos besides the one on your back?"

"You'd like to know wouldn't you?" She smiled. "You can put them on that plate when they're done."

"So, you wanted to talk." He slide the plate of hot pancakes toward her.

"Well mostly I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have agreed to being friends. It's not what I wanted, and I know it's not what you wanted and it just made things more complicated, so I'm sorry. I was just so worried about getting into another relationship, when it's the reason I'm in this mess in the first place, but I should have realized that you were different from the start."

"You don't have to apologize. In fact, don't. It's not a big deal. I would've waited a year for you. I would've waited forever for you if that's what it took. I liked you from the moment I met you Felicity. I've never met anyone like you. I'll be honest, I've dated quite a few girls, but _none _of them come even close to you."

"Not even Laurel?"

"Of course not. Laurel... we don't talk about Laurel okay? Not ever again."

"Deal."

**A/N I hope you liked this, I've gone back and forth with myself about 20 times about this, since its the big first kiss you know? But I'm satisfied with it... for now. Hope you liked the part about Laurel because well, I can't stand her. I would love if we could just not talk about Laurel ever again. But I don't know she might make an appearance in a further chapter, we'll see. ;) And in response to TheOddManOut, no, I was not aware that Stephen Amell was even in New girl, I just asked my friend to come up with a name that sounded douchy anand that's what she came up with! Please review it means the world to me. Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N So this wasn't originally the way I was going to go but I think it makes a little more sense at this point, and maybe I'll write that other chapter in the future, but for now here's what you get. This chapter was really hard for me to write just because I based Felicity's life so much off of my own so it hit pretty close to home, but I think it's important to the story so I write it anyway. I'm fairly happy with it though and I hope you are too! **

Oliver's pancakes were actually better than hers, somehow, though she would never admit it, and once they were through talking about Laurel, breakfast was pretty enjoyable.

He stayed over there for the remainder of the day. They spent a lot of time sitting on the couch, a movie playing, though they seldom watched it. At lunch time he made the most amazing grilled cheese she had ever eaten. He was obviously a much better cook than she was, although she wasn't really a cook at all. She could rock a bowl of cereal like nobodies business, but a sandwich this good was way out of her league.

She insisted on putting away the dishes afterward since it was her kitchen after all, and he let her. She asked him if he had to work at all that day, since she hadn't realized before that just because she had a day off didn't mean he did.

"I called in sick." He said simply.

"You called in sick so you could spend the day with me?" She asked incredulously. No one had ever done that for her.

"Well yeah. I couldn't let you stay here all day by yourself. That would have been terrible for both of us. I would have had to work, and you would have been by yourself. So this was a win-win. I promise."

She smiled. It was nice to spend a day like this with him. Just a lazy day together. It wouldn't last of course. Tomorrow they would have to go back to work, and things would go back to normal, but today it was nice.

He went back home late that night, so late it almost seemed pointless even though he lived next door. Really she just wanted him to stay forever.

Once he had gone she immediately felt the difference. It was quiet, as it had been before, but it was a different kind of silence. It was an empty silence. And she hated it.

She slept better that night than she had in months, dreaming of Oliver. She arrived at work the next morning in such a good mood, even her coworkers noticed.

But that happiness quickly, if not immediately faded when she saw

her walk through the door. It was Natalie, the friend that Kyle had cheated on her with. And she was headed straight for Felicity. She really hoped she wasn't there to give an apology because Felicity wanted no part of that. In a way, breaking up with Kyle was the best thing she had ever done, even if the way it happened wasn't.

"Felicity." Natalie clearly hadn't forgotten, Felicity was certain of that. It was in the way she said her name. "I was hoping you could help me with something."

"You're asking for my help? Are you insane?" She couldn't help herself, she wanted to say a lot worse to her, but insane seemed like a good place to start.

"Look, I know I made a big mistake," Natalie said. "But I didn't really know you would just up and leave like you did. I didn't want you to do that. That wasn't fair. If anyone should have run away it was Kyle. And I am sorry. But... you're so much better off without him, even if you don't see it. And I really do need your help."

Felicity glared at her. "You do know I'm a technical specialist right? I don't do... people problems."

"No I know. It's my phone. It's all locked up, and my carrier said there was nothing they could do unless I wanted to pay to replace it, which I would really rather not."

"So you came all the way here, to me, for help with your phone?"

"Oh I don't live that far from here." Of course you don't, Felicity thought. It was just her luck to still be too close to her old life. She should have just moved back to Nevada like her sister.

"Okay fine." Felicity said. It was, after all, her job to help the customers, even if it was the last thing she wanted to do. "Leave it here with me and come back in like an hour and pick it up?"

She didn't want to stay and fix Natalie's phone. She wanted to bolt. She wanted to get in her car and drive until she hit the ocean. This new life that she had tried to build for herself suddenly didn't seem that great. But she couldn't do that. Not yet.

During her lunch break she faked a migraine and decided to just go home. Well, she didn't really have to fake anything because seeing Natalie had actually given her a headache, but she may have made it seem a little bit worse than it really was.

She didn't tell Oliver she had gone home. He would have wanted to leave work early and be with her, but she just wanted to be alone. Hen she got home she changed out of her work uniform and immediately cried herself to sleep.

She woke up hours later to banging on the door. It was most likely Oliver but she ignored it anyway. He probably saw her car in the parking garage, but she told herself there was no way for him to know if she was even home so it wasn't like he could say she was ignoring him. Except that she was.

It wasn't him that she was upset with, but no matter what he said to her, she wouldn't feel any better, so she would rather just sit alone.

She wrapped herself up in a blanket and put on some music, though it didn't make her feel any better. At the moment she didn't think anything would make her feel better.

When Natalie had returned to pick up her phone Felicity tried her hardest to get her to leave right away but she continued to talk about Kyle until she couldn't take it anymore.

"I really am sorry Felicity. I didn't realize what a big effect sleeping with Kyle would have on you." Natalie had said. "He told me your relationship was in horrible shape and that you wouldn't care. That you were practically broken up already."

"Please stop." Felicity said. She didn't want to hear any more.

"I just want to make things better. We broke up you know? Me and him. We didn't stay together long after you left. He broke up with me and started dating this other girl."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better? Because it really didn't. Can you please just go?" Natalie did, reluctantly. That was when Felicity decided she had to go home.

She slept for the rest of the day, not once getting up to eat. The thought of eating anything made her sick.

She woke up from nightmares multiple times that night, each time worse than the last. It was a horrible change from the night before. She tried to think of Oliver instead, but Kyle kept popping into her 7 in the morning she'd called in sick again, claiming her migraine had turned into the flu.

She checked her phone messages then too, finding that she had half a dozen messages from Oliver, who was worried about her, as she assumed he would be, but she made no point to answer them. She knew that every second she didn't answer the harder the conversation would be when she did, but she didn't care. She wasn't ready to talk to Oliver yet. So she went back to sleep.

She sat on her computer for the majority of that day, just messing around. She checked the news, the weather, and her email. She looked at some online stores but bought nothing. She was bored by noon but it was something to do, something to keep her mind busy. It didn't always help though. The bad memories still came back. She even considered looking for a new apartment that was farther away because though she liked her new place, if was going to be a problem if she's going to run into people she used to know. She found one that was pretty nice and she's as looking at the details when Oliver knocked on her door again.

She got up this time, wrapping the blanket tightly around her shoulders before answering the door.

Oliver was worried about Felicity. She was home, her car was in the garage, but she wasn't answering any of his calls or texts, and she didn't answer the door. Things had seemed so good with them when he left the other day, but something have happened after that. He just hoped it was something he could help with.

He wasn't going to give up though. Wednesday after work he knocked on her door again. This time she answered, though not for a few seconds or so.

He knew without a doubt that something was wrong as he saw her. Her hair was a mess and she wasn't wearing makeup. She looked like she hadn't slept or eaten in days.

"Are you sick?" He asked. "You should have told me, I would have stayed with you."

"No I didn't want you to." She said. "I wanted to be alone."

"So you're not sick?" He asked. He almost wanted to be mad. If she wasn't sick, then why wasn't she answering his calls? And why wasn't she going to work? She went to work yesterday didn't she? But he didn't yell, because there had to be another reason. Something was definitely wrong.

"Not exactly." She sat down on the couch, closing her laptop, which he could have sworn was showing apartment listings. Was she looking for a new place? She just moved here!

"What happened? Because Monday you were fine. Things were great. And then Tuesday comes and you won't answer any of my calls, or even the door. I was really worried about you Felicity! I thought you had gotten kidnapped or something!"

"I can handle myself Oliver. I can't believe you thought I was kidnapped because I didn't answer my door!"

"What else was I supposed to think? You want to tell me the real reason?" She glared at him. She didn't want to tell him, he could see it in her eyes. "Felicity, what happened?"

She stared at him for a minute before she spoke, and when she did, he felt like an asshole for being mad.

"My past happened okay? I was at work yesterday, in a noticeably good mood, when Natalie, the friend of mine who I caught with Kyle, walks up and asks me for help with her stupid phone. But she didn't want to talk about her phone. She wanted to talk about Kyle, and how lucky I was to have been cheated on like that, because I'm so much better off now." She was angry, and there was no reason for it. She should be happy, excited about her new relationship, and her new life, but her old life just wasn't letting her.

"Oh Felicity I'm sorry." He moved to touch her, comfort her in any way he could, but she wouldn't let him.

"She just kept saying she was sorry, like it was going to make me feel any better to know what she thinks. She said I'm better off without him, and she's right, I already knew that, but that doesn't mean I'm okay. I thought I could run away. Leave everything behind. And I was doing so well. But I don't know how I could have been so stupid. No matter how far away I try to be, I'm still going to be too close."

"No Felicity you can't think like that. There's nothing good about being cheated on Felicity, nothing. Don't let anyone tell you that. But you're a fighter Felicity, you can get through this. And I really wish you would let me help you. It's easier if you're not on your own."

"I know I just... I wanted some time to myself after that. I was a wreck. I didn't want you to see me like that."

"I don't care if you're a wreck." He said. "I just want to help you. Will you let me do that?"

She sighed. "Okay." She snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder and quickly falling asleep. He wrapped his arm around her pulling her closer. He just hoped that when she woke up she would feel better.

**A/N Sorry for any depression I may have caused you but it was important to me that it's believable, and after reading the reviews (Thank you by the way!) I put myself in Felicity's shoes, and figured out how I would handle the situation, and went from there. Again, sorry for the depression it's just kind of how I am, but chapter 12 will be lighter, I promise! It's already started too!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Sorry it took so long, but I wanted to make it as happy and light as I could manage. Hope you like it! Please review! :)**

Oliver insisted on taking Felicity out on a proper date Friday night, like he did in high school. She was hesitant of course, but he quickly talked her into it. He promised it would be fun, and how could she say no to that?

He really went out of his way to make her happy, making sure to stay away from any conversation that could result in tears. She wished he wasn't trying so hard, but considering that he may just be more if a gentleman than she was used to, she didn't say anything.

After they had gone to dinner at a small restaurant downtown they walked around for a little, holding hands. As they turned the corner Oliver seemed to get an idea and said there was something they just had to do.

"I'm open to anything." She said.

"Are you sure?" He took both of her hands in his, absently rubbing circles on her palms.

"Oliver of course I'm sure." She said giving him a small smile."I trust you."

He smiled back quickly kissing her on the cheek before they started walking again.

He wouldn't tell her where they were going, only that it was one of his favorite things to do. She couldn't imagine what it could possibly be. They had talked about a lot of things but a favorite date spot hadn't been one of them.

They were half a block away when she finally realized where they were going. It was the most secluded place in town, and late on a Friday, it would surely be empty.

She let him think it was still a surprise because she thought he deserved that. After all she put him through this week, she thought it would be nice to see a smile on his face. And it'd be nice to have one herself.

"You probably know where I'm taking you don't you?" He asked, seemingly reading her mind.

"Nope." She couldn't help but smile, giving herself away.

"You're a bad liar." He said. "But it's okay. It didn't need to be a secret."

"Secrets are overrated. But it is kind of a surprise. I mean, the park?"

"Are you crazy, I love the park!" He said enthusiastically. "I come here all the time."

"Really?" It was new information to her. He didn't really seem like the type of person that would still do something otherwise deemed,childish.

"Yes! I love going on the swings. Really helps clear my mind. Besides, this has been my park since I was a baby, how could I just stop coming here?"

"I don't know I guess you can't. I don't really have a park of my own." She frowned. She didn't know she really wanted it before, but seeing how happy he was here made her change her mind.

"Well I'd be happy to share mine with you." He grinned, dragging her over to the swings.

Felicity was a little a little cautious at first. Two grown adults in the park at 11 o'clock at night WAS a little weird, but it sounded too fun to pass up.

And it really was. Oliver was not at all like she had first assumed him to be. He was a nut. Absolutely crazy. It was a side of him she wasn't used to seeing. He was usually funny, but in a dry, sarcastic kind of way. But not tonight. Tonight he was loud and full of energy.

"I've never seen you like this." She couldn't help but smile. They had just finished trying to swing higher than the other (She won because he let her, since he obviously has more experience) And now she was exhausted, but Oliver wasn't. He was twirling himself around and letting go, something that made her dizzy just by watching. But the smile on his face was what stood out most.

"Well believe it or not," He said when it stopped spinning. "I'm not usually like this, not even here. I guess maybe you just bring out this side of me."

"I'm glad." She said. "I like it. Balances out my crazy."

"You're not crazy."

"I've done some pretty crazy things." She smiled. "Still do most of them. But normal's boring."

"Well that's true." He said. "But I happen to like every part of you, even the crazy ones."

"Oh good." She said. "Cause you ain't seen nothing yet."

Felicity was a total flirt when she wanted to be. He should have known. That smile of hers was a curse. They both knew that whatever she asked of him, he would do. He was wrapped tightly around her perfectly manicured little finger. And he didn't really care.

"Didn't you say you were trying to be more grown up?" She asked later as they were walking back to the car.

"I meant more like, settle down, not stop going to the park." He smiled. "Not to pressure you or anything. Besides I'm already doing way better with you than any other girl I've been with."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll for starters I took you on an actual date before taking you to bed."

"You've never done that before?" She sounded like she was uncertain how to feel about that.

"No. I've never wanted to." She was quiet. "I've tried harder with you than I ever have with anybody. Not to say that you're harder than they were, it's not a bad thing, I just... I really like you. From the moment I met you I liked you. I've always been willing to do whatever it takes to show you. That's never going to change. Nothing, not my past, nor yours, is going to change the way I feel about you. I just hope it doesn't change anything for you. I know you're scared but-"

"Oliver I'm always scared. All the time. But it's never stopped me from going after what I want. Sometimes you just have to look fear in the eye and say 'Bite me'."

"'Bite me'? That's all you've got?"

"Shut up, that wasn't the point."

"No, I know what your point was. At least I think I do. You want to just... Finish what you were going to say?"

She laughed wrapping her arms around his neck. He could feel her breath on his neck. She was so close... "I was just going to say, no matter how scared I am, or how worried I am, I'm still glad I took the chance."

"So that's what I am to you? A chance?" He looked down at her, a small smile growing on his face.

"Come on Oliver give me a break. You've got to admit that with a track record like yours, anyone that goes looking for a serious relationship is taking a chance."

"At least tell me I'm pretty."

"Now you're making fun of me." She smiled, kissing him. "Besides, I already called you gorgeous that one time."

"Actually now that you mention that, I was lying."

"What?"

"We'll I... I wanted to see your reaction when I told you you'd said that."

"So I didn't actually say that? You just tried to make me think I did? Anything else you want to admit to, while we're being honest?" She was upset, but she hadn't let go.

"I've never lied to you about anything else Felicity. Besides, you were thinking it, so it's not really lying."

"Oliver." She tried not to smile.

"No more lying, I promise." He said. "And hey, you're gorgeous too."

"Mhm." She smiled. "I already knew that." He kissed her quickly before reluctantly letting her go.

"You're awfully sassy tonight." Not that he was complaining. Earlier in the week she had a meltdown, any smile he saw on her face was a good one, even if it was sarcastic.

"Gorgeous and sassy, what else am I Oliver?"

"A lot of things Felicity. A lot of things."

"Good things I hope?"

"Oh of course. Do I need to make you a list?"

"No I don't think so. Pretty sure I already know. But you can tell me anyway, if you want."

He laughed. Gorgeous didn't even begin to cover it. Felicity was a lot of things to him, things he could never quite put into words. Words just didn't do her justice.

"You're way more than just gorgeous Felicity." He had her right where he wanted her. Between him and a wall, and the wall was more likely to let go.

"And sassy," she added, her breath catching as he got closer. "Don't forget that part."

"How could I?" When he kissed her the world around him disappeared. All that remained was him and her. All he could feel was her. Her mouth on his, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, anchoring herself to him as if she had another option.

"Maybe we should do this at home." She said, pulling away just far enough to speak. "Or maybe the car."

"Not the car." Oliver said. "We'd never leave. We'll go home."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Ok umm, let's say this chapter is like a week after 12 so when it says Monday it's not like right after, don't ask why that's just what I'm making it. Also thanks for all the reviews and I really hate to say this, but I really don't know how many chapters I going to write after this. When I started I honestly thought I might get bored after 5 so this is really good for me, but its getting harder to get ideas that you guys will want to read... Let me know what you think, I'm thinking maybe get up to 18ish? After that I'll just start a new one. I don't know, feedback would be great! But you guys are awesome anyway, hope you like this chapter cause I was trying to include some other characters that you might actually like versus I don't know Laurel? :) Have fun reading and don't forget to review**!

Felicity had Monday off of work but Oliver didn't so she planned on spending the day doing stuff at home. She figured it was the perfect day to sleep in, do some laundry, clean up the kitchen and maybe her room. But all that was put on hold when she heard heavy things being dragged across the floor outside her front door. If she didn't know any better it sounded like somebody was moving in next door.

She didn't want to make the wrong impression if there were new people moving in, so she quickly showered and dressed before heading out with a basket of dirty clothes to take down to the laundry room.

The hallway was full of boxes and chairs and tables that people were systematically moving into the apartment next to hers. But there were no tenants in sight. She moved around the boxes marked "G's clothes" and "P's books" and knocked on the door.

"Hello? Could anybody tell me who lives here?" Felicity called into the open room. It was almost exactly like her own, but mirrored. In her apartment the kitchen was on the right side, in here it was on the left.

"Hi!" A short brunette haired girl, wearing a red and white plaid shirt over a black tank top with a pair of skinny jeans and black combat boots, came running out from the bedroom. "I'm Gina, I live here. Who are you?"

"I'm Felicity, I live next door." Felicity set down the laundry basket by her feet to shake Gina's hand. "I was just coming to see what all the ruckus was. I didn't even know this place was vacant."

"Well it wasn't for long. It was my brothers place for a while but he's getting married so he bought a house, and this place is so close to my work that I couldn't pass it up. It's nice to meet you! I'd offer you a seat or a drink or something but as you can see all my stuff is still in the hallway."

"Oh don't worry about it, I should really be getting to my laundry anyway. But I have the day off and I'll be home all day so feel free to stop over to talk or something. It'd be great to have a friend in the building."

"Sure, yeah definitely. As soon as I get all my stuff in here I will be right over."

"Great, see you."

Felicity finished her laundry in record time so she could go back upstairs and bake some muffins for her and Gina. Normally she wasn't one to be nervous about meeting new people, but lately it had been harder than ever. Especially since she didn't have any friends, and this was really her only chance at making one. The only other people she had met since she moved was Laurel who was... No. And Tommy who was alright, but Oliver's friend more than hers. And then Oliver who she couldn't really consider a friend anymore.

When Gina finally rang the doorbell Felicity was so excited about the prospect of a new friend she could hardly contain herself.

After talking for nearly an hour it was clear to both of them that they would be very good friends.

"So you've only lived here for a little while right?" Gina asked.

"Yeah I suppose. Like a month and a half. It's been good for the most part. Better than it was before."

"What happened?"

"You know under normal circumstances I probably wouldn't tell you but I'm gonna be honest here, I don't have any girlfriends to talk to about things and my boyfriend Oliver he... Well I can't talk to him about everything you know? There are some things I just can't tell him."

"Well for what it's worth, you can tell me."

"I haven't had the best luck with guys to put it simply. I always fall for the wrong ones and eventually get my heart broken. Before I moved here I was with a guy named Kyle. We had a pretty good relationship for a while. That all ended when I found him in bed with my friend of course. I mean sure, she wasn't like my best friend, that wasn't really the point, it was just the fact that it was somebody other than me. Kyle and I didn't really sleep together at all, so I guess he wasn't getting what he wanted from me so he got it somewhere else. I dont know. But I knew after that I wouldn't be able to just 'bounce back' so I left. Found a new job, found this place, and then there was Oliver... Its never been easy for me to trust him. In fact I don't really trust him that much at all, even now."

Felicity felt bad for saying it out loud. But it was true. She didn't trust Oliver as much as she could, or probably should. Sure she opened up about Kyle but what about everything else? She couldn't tell him that yet. Not when there's still a chance this whole thing isn't real. she wasn't about to make the same mistakes again.

"Well for good reason it seems." Gina said simply. Taking everything in at the speed Felicity spoke was probably hard so she couldn't blame her for not saying more.

"So many things about him seem too good to be true." Felicity said. "And after Kyle I don't know how I can just... Jump back in with this whole relationship thing. I shouldn't be doing this at all, I know. But I like him. And I've never been great at making decisions under pressure."

"Well it usually is difficult to make rational decisions around attractive people."

"That's what I've found. I mean from the second I met him I knew that I would have a hard time saying no to anything he asked. I think I lasted like a day. He's just got one of those faces you know? And I of course made a huge mistake from the get-go so that was great."

"What did you do?"

"I agreed to be friends." Felicity winced. "Not the best decision I've ever made."

"Why did you do that? You obviously didn't want to be friends, and I have a hard time believing he did."

"Well he offered it! And I thought I could handle it. I thought it would be a good thing. New place, new town, new friends right? I needed a friend and he was so adamant to get to know me and friends was safe. But like I said, I shouldn't have done it."

"Well obviously you weren't friends for long."

"Umm no, not really."

"How long?"

"About a week."

"A week?! No wonder you still don't trust him! How could you when you barely know him. I'm curious what pushed you to start dating, but you can tell me later. For now I want to know what the hell you were thinking!"

"Look, not one of my finest moments okay? I get it. But I don't know, it was so hard. I was desperate for affection and being friends and all, I banned it. Which was stupid, I know. I make a lot of stupid decisions okay? But I needed it. I tried finding someone else to date first okay? I looked at people at work, co-workers, customers, everyone, but all I could see was Oliver. And he already did so much for me that I didn't expect and couldn't expect from anyone else. The fact that all of it might not be real just... didn't occur to me."

"Well it does now I hope?"

"Of course. We wouldn't be having this conversation if it didn't. We spend so much time together, me and him, but every time he leaves I just sit around and wonder if he's just playing me. And to make it worse he has a history of being a player. He says he's trying to change and that he's been doing good but I've been trying to change too and well if I tell you I'm doing good, I'm probably lying."

"Well... I know I don't know you very well, and you don't know me, and while I appreciate that you trust me enough to tell me all this, you don't have to take my advice. I don't think you will, and really what do I know anyway? But... I think you should walk away. I don't know him, I can't speak with his side on my mind, but for you, if you're worried about getting your heart broken again I think it might be best if you leave now, before it gets too hard."

Felicity was quiet. She had thought about it before. Just walking away. But she wasn't sure if it was really the right decision. Hearing it from somebody else should make it more clear. But it didn't.

"But on the other hand..." Gina went on. "Maybe you should just take a chance. Go for it. What's the worst that could happen? You're clearly a strong person, you've dealt with it before, I don't think one more time is going to break you. It might be exactly what you need. Then again, I don't really know what I'm talking about."

"Youre kind of confusing you know that?" Felicity said with a laugh. "In fact, I'm pretty sure you just completely contradicted yourself."

"Maybe. That's kind of how I work... Honestly though, I don't really have it on any authority that either of my two pieces of advice would do you any good. I don't really control everything that comes out of my mouth, so you might just be best going with your gut."

"You could have just started with that."

"I could have." Gina smiled. "But would you have listened?"

Oliver was worried about Felicity all day. He hated leaving her home by herself like that, but she made him promise not to worry too much. He didnt like it, but if she said she would find something to occupy herself, then he trusted her to do it.

When he got back he quickly changed before knocking on her door. He heard laughter come from inside, but it definitely wasn't hers.

"Oliver." She opened the door with a huge smile on her face. "Come in, come in." She sounded like she had been drinking. "This is Gina. She just,moved in next door." She pointed to the petite brunette sitting by the TV. "Gina this is my boyfriend Oliver."

"Hi, Oliver." Gina smiled knowingly at him. They had talked about him. It was obvious. "So I suppose this is my queue to go huh?" Gina saSo sanding up.

"Only if you want to." Felicity said. "You're welcome to stay but I'm sure you have lots of unpacking left to do.

"Oh honey you have no idea. See you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here after 7." Felicity smiled closing the door behind her. "So how was work?"

"Boring as always." Oliver responded, angry with himself for being angry that Felicity's new friend ruined his 'hello' kiss. It's fine, he told himself. She should have a friend. It's not healthy to only know one person in town. "But you seemed to have a good day." He added.

"Yeah Gina's great. She was over almost all day. We really hit it off. Which was awesome cause I need a girlfriend around."

He couldn't help but pick her up and spin her around. "I'm happy for you." He said kissing her forehead.

"Really? Because you know I won't be able to spend every waking minute with you anymore." She looked up at him, seemingly unsure if he was really happy. But he was. Whatever made her happy, made him happy.

"I'm willing to compromise if it makes you happy." He smiled.

"Thank you." A look flitted across her face that he didn't recognize. It should have been happiness, but... It wasn't quite. She smiled, but it wasn't the same. "There's a couple muffins left, do you want one?"

"Of course."

He barely spoke the rest of the night. He let Felicity go on and on about how great Gina was, interjecting only when he needed to. Something wasn't right. He didn't know what it was really, but there was definitely wrong. Something happened today, something Felicity was leaving out.

He made her dinner and then went home. On the surface she acted perfectly normal but he knew, he _knew_ that as soon as he closed the door behind him, that would change. He should talk to her about it, but how do you bring something up like that up without starting a fight? You dont. And he knew it.

**A/N So I think some of you might know where I'm going with this, but you might want to reconsider that because I have 2 ideas for Chapter 14 and I think I'm going to incorporate both of them if I can, and theres no way you guys can guess the second one. If you've got ideas or guesses please let me know! As always, thanks so much and dont forget to review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Fair warning, this chapter does contain a little bit of language, since that's how I normally write. If you are uncomfortable with that sorry? Also after writing this chapter I have to say that I really love writing this story but there's probably only going to be one, maybe two more chapters and then I'm going to start another one that will probably be either more Arrow or possibly Once Upon A Time I have a couple going akready that I've never posted. Thanks for all the support though, I've had tons of fun inbetween all the annoying "Crap I don't know what to write but it's already been two days since I updated, what do I do?!". So thank you to all my readers and I hope you're not too sad when this story ends!**

"Is everything okay Oliver?" Felicity asked. Ever since he came home on Monday he had been acting weird. At first she thought he was just jealous that she had found a friend, but there was something else. It was almost like he knew what they had talked about while he was away. Like he had heard her say she didn't trust him. But that was crazy. There was no way he knew that. And it wasn't like she hadn't thought about what Gina said. Go with your gut. She was trying to. She was trying to be a better girlfriend, and let him in, but Oliver seemed almost... Angry with her. And she wasn't going to put up with that. Not after all she's been through.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He said without even looking away from the TV. He wasn't even touching her, though she was sitting close enough. He never did that before this week. Every chance he got he was all over her.

"Oliver don't lie." She said quietly, but sternly, turning off the TV. She didn't want to fight with him, but if that's what it was going to take for him to talk, then she didn't have another option.

"Really Felicity? Don't lie?" He said mockingly. "I can't believe you could say something like that to me with a straight face!"

"Excuse me?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I don't know what you and your new friend talked about on Monday, but whatever it was, it changed things. I don't know what it was, and I really don't care. I just want things to go back to the way they were."

"Oliver, nothing changed until you got that stick stuck up your ass and decided that I did something wrong! What do you think me and Gina did?! Have sex? We just talked Oliver. About girl stuff."

He was quiet for a moment. Thinking. She thought he was ready to apologize but his face never changed. "I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me?" She asked, incredulous. "What the hell brought this on Oliver?!"

"You did! I come here after work to find you with some stranger chick, who you barely know more than I do, and you've already got inside jokes with her and everything- I mean the way she looked at me before she left... She knows something about you. Something I don't know."

"So what? You said you were happy for me! You said it was great that I had a friend!"

"I want to know why you trust your new friend more than me!" He shouted. It was the first time he had ever yelled at her. Even at the beginning of the conversation, he never raised his voice that much. But this time he had. And he sounded just like Kyle.

"Get out!" She yelled back, tears welling up in her traitorous eyes. "Now!"

Something changed in his facial expression, like he realized what he had done. But it was too late. "Felicity-"

"Get out." She repeated through gritted teeth. He did as she asked, reluctantly, pulling the door shut behind him. Felicity sunk into the couch, unable to stop herself from sobbing.

Even though he was right about her trusting Gina with things she didn't tell him, it went both ways, and she had reasons. And they were the same reasons for the way she reacted to being yelled at.

But she had lied to both Gina and Oliver about Kyle. Their relationship was far from perfect, even from the beginning. He was demanding, rough, uptight, abusive. He didn't hit her very often, but they yelled all the time. And he had to have the last word. He had anger issues, saw problems in everything, and always took it out on her. He made everything her fault. It did wonders for her self esteem.

It was the main reason she ran when he found him with Natalie. She could have stayed and yelled at him, or publicly shamed him, or a lot of other things, but it would have only ended badly for her. She knew better than to push him. So she just ran away.

Making Oliver leave was probably not the best solution, but she needed to cry, and she didn't want him to be there to see it. They should talk is what they should do. She knew that. He needed to know the whole truth. Both about Kyle and Gina. And she needed to know what had made him so angry. After that she could decide whether to stay, or run again.

But first she was going to cry. And then maybe eat some ice cream and cry some more. They could talk in the morning.

Her nap was rudely interrupted around midnight when someone started knocking on the door. She didn't want to answer it, but she did. It was Gina though, not Oliver like she expected.

"You look... Like crap." Gina said.

"Wow thanks."

"What happened?"

"Oliver happened." Felicity said letting Gina in. She was dressed for a night out, the opposite of Felicity who had changed into her pajamas hours ago. "I don't know what's wrong with him but all week he's been acting weird and I finally asked him about it today and he freaked out on me. Started yelling, saying I was keeping things from him. All I was trying to do was talk to him but... Once he started yelling, I kicked him out."

"Did you guys break up?"

"No." Felicity said. "I was hoping maybe tomorrow we could talk about it."

"Well I hope you work it out. Ive got to go, I just wanted to check in with you before I left. We still on for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure. And you can tell me all about what it is you're doing tonight."

"Of course." Gina smiled. Felicity knew exactly what she was up to but it would be more fun to hear it from her. "Goodnight."

Oliver really messed up with Felicity. He knew by the look on her face when he raised his voice that he was right. She was keeping things from him. But whatever it was, she had a right to.

He was an asshole. She didn't do anything wrong, and he wasted a whole week not talking to her about it, instead choosing to fight with her.

He didn't know how he was going to make it up to her, but he had to try. Felicity meant everything to him.

When he left his apartment to go to hers Gina was just walking down the hall to the elevator. She was wearing a short trenchcoat and an even shorter dress underneath. It almost looked as if she were wearing lace tights underneath but in the dark hallway light he couldn't tell.

"Hello, Oliver." She stopped. "Where ya going?"

"To see my girlfriend. Where are you going? Got a hot date or something?"

"Or something." She smiled. "Any reason you're going to see Felicity at midnight?"

"No reason you need to know." He said. "I'm sure she'll tell you all about it later anyway. But if you dont mind-"

"Of course. I should be going anyway. And Oliver, take care of my friend will you?"

He nodded. Gina was not exactly what he pictured, but if Felicity liked her than she must be okay. But there was something about her, something he couldn't put his finger on... But he didn't have time to worry about it, he had to talk to Felicity.

He knocked on her door quietly, hoping not to disturb the neighbors more than he had already by talking to Gina. Felicity answered the door right away, like she had been standing there waiting. She didn't say anything, but she let him in. She was dressed in her pajamas and. all the lights were off in her house except for those in her bedroom.I

"Felicity, I'm really sorry." He said. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. We should have just talked about things."

"I agree." She said quietly, stifling a yawn. "We could talk now."

"Okay." She went to turn on the lights but it was obvious how tired she was. "You look tired. Come on." He pulled her back into her bedroom.

"Oliver you don't have to do this. We could have sat on the couch." Even as she was protesting she pulled the blanket up to her waist, leaning back on her mountain of pillows.

"No, I woke you up. It's just one more thing to be sorry for, and I'm trying to fix it. I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I did Oliver. I didn't tell you the whole truth. I didn't tell anybody the whole truth."

"You can tell me now." He took her hand. She tried to pull away but he held on. "Whatever it is-"

"It's about Kyle." She said. Immediately he tensed. He knew it was about him. It was always about that asshole. "I know I said we had a good relationship but... We didn't. We never did. He was demanding, and angry all the time... He hurt me. And it still scares me. Everything that went wrong was suddenly my fault. He did cheat on me though, I didn't make that part up. It's why I had to run. I wasn't strong enough to stay and fight him on it. Just like I'm not strong enough to fight you on this."

"I'm so sorry Felicity, I didn't want to fight with you."

"I should have told you-"

"It's okay." It physically hurt him to see her this upset. He took her into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's okay. I promise not to yell at you ever again. No matter what. I swear Felicity. On something important. I'm not going to hurt you. I couldn't. I love you Felicity. Do you believe me?"

She believed him. Maybe she shouldn't, but she did.

She wasn't able to speak. She wouldn't have known what to say anyway. He loved her. It wasn't like she didn't know before, but it was different hearing him say it. It made it real. It wasn't a game, it never had been. But she couldn't say it back. She imagined herself trying and it just didn't come out.

Felicity looked up at him, her vision blurred by the tears she couldn't stop. She kissed him, hoping it was enough. "I believe you." She whispered. She settled back into his shoulder, his arm wrapped possessively around her shoulder.

Suddenly she became aware of where they were. They were in her bed, her fluffy comforter the only thing separating them. She wasn't ready for that, especially not tonight, but she was so comfortable there next to him that she didn't want to move.

Like he had realized the same thing as her he said, "I should go-"

"No stay." She said before she could stop herself. "Please. I feel better knowing you're here with me."

"I'll have to leave early for work." He said, slowly, like he was arguing with himself.

"That's okay." She smiled, pulling the blanket out from under him and placing it over the both of them. The temperature in the room immediately went up by 10 degrees. She snuggled up closer to his warm body, knowing exactly how dangerous it was. But she didn't care. She didn't want anything more though. She just wanted to know he was there.

"Felicity-" He was unsure. She didn't know why. He just told her he loved her and now he didnt even want to touch her. She didn't understand.

"It's just sleep Oliver. Trust me, I'm exhausted." She looked up, begging him with her eyes.

"I can't control myself around you Felicity."

"Oliver." She groaned, rolling on top of him. "We're not having this conversation. I want you to hold me in your arms and I want to sleep because I've been through a lot today and I'm tired. If you don't think you can do that, then go home."

"Alright, alright, I'll stay."

They settled in to a comfortable position for them both, and Oliver turned off the lamp.

"Where was Gina going?" Oliver asked quietly.

Felicity laughed. "She had a date."

"With a stranger?"

"Why would you say that?"

"She was dressed like a hooker."

"Maybe she is." Felicity smiled to herself, knowing it killed him not to know for sure, but it was Gina's story to tell, not hers, and besides, she knew it would shut him up, and she really was tired.

**A/N Ok so this part of the story is not a necessary read if you A. Don't really like Gina, or B. Don't want to read a conversation that is mostly about sex sort of topics. As an author I enjoyed writing it, but I know you may not want to read it so I'm giving you permission to skip it. However, if you have nothing against Gina or sex, please go right ahead and read this"bonus chapter". (Just to be clear it is not sex, they just have a conversation that references what I think is like basic knowledge about sex for a T rating reader.) Hope you like it! And again, this story is very close to being done so keep that in mind when you review!**

She woke up early the next morning to an empty bed. Oliver was in her bathroom getting ready for work. She sat up, wishing she could go back to sleep but she wanted to say goodbye to Oliver.

"You're up early." he was already dressed, ready to go. He didn't even sit down. "You should be sleeping."

"I wanted to say goodbye."

He smiled, leaning over to kiss her. "What are you going to do today?"

"Go to work. Meet Gina for lunch. Maybe have dinner with you."

"Maybe?"

"Well I never asked. Do you want to?"

"I would love to. I'll take you out. Anywhere you want. My treat."

"Do I get dessert after?"

"If you're good."

She smiled. "Have fun at work."

"I'll try."

She knew he wouldn't, and she wouldn't either. She couldn't wait to hear about what Gina did last night. And she knew she'd want to hear about her and Oliver too. It wasn't a long story to tell. But Gina liked details. She promised herself she'd make her go first otherwise she might not have enough time.

They met at a little cafe in between their apartments and Felicity's work. Gina didn't work in the day. She said it was weird. Felicity didn't object. They sat in the back, since it was the only place they might not be seen. Gina insisted.

"So Oliver saw you leave last night." Felicity said as they sat down with their coffee.

"What did he say?" She asked, curiosity glowing in her eyes.

"He said you were dressed like a hooker." Felicity said, stifling a laugh. "I told him you might be."

"Oh my gosh really? I bet he died."

"I don't know I fell asleep." She admitted. "It definitely got him wondering though."

"Good." Gina leaned back in her chair, pleased with Felicity's information.

"So tell me. What exactly did you do last night?"

"A lawyer." She said simply.

"Gina!"

"It's the truth. He was good. Old-ish, but good."

"Well I wish I could be you. Sleeping with old guys for money. What a life."

"Do I sense judgment in your tone?"

"Sarcasm Gina. You know I don't care what you do just don't suck me into it. I don't want to have to explain to the cops that I knew all about your little night time activities."

She was going to say something but stopped herself. "Are you going to tell Oliver?" She asked instead.

"No. You're going to tell him. I don't care when you do it, but it's going to kill him not knowing."

Gina nodded. "So I take it you guys are good then? He went over last night?"

"And stayed all night." Felicity nodded happily. "I made him. Well, I guilted him."

"Did you do it?"

"No Gina we did not do it. I'm not ready for that. We just slept."

"He was okay with that?"

"I didn't give him much of a choice. After a fight he would have to be a complete idiot to say no to me."

"Well good for you. I bet he's better than the lawyer."

"Do you even know his name? And God I hope so."

They both laughed. "Names don't matter." Gina said. "He got what he paid for, I got paid, everybody wins."

"Why do you do it? How do you do it?"

"I'm not really good at anything else." Gina shrugged. "I started during college as a way to make extra money, but then I dropped out of college and couldn't exactly give it up unless I wanted to lose my place."

"But out of all the things. How do you possibly get into something like that?"

"I don't really know. I guess I started out small. Favors for people I know. As I got older it became obvious that I was good at it and people I never had to see again would be more enjoyable anyway. If I stopped I don't know how I could ever get another job. What are you supposed to put in your resume when you're 27 and the only way you've ever made money is by having sex with strangers?"

"You put nothing I guess." Felicity frowned. Sooner or later Gina would have to grow up wouldn't she? Maybe she could work in a bar. Something where she could be herself and still be legal. Felicity didn't bring it up though. She didn't want to lose the only friend she had.

"Enough about me though." Gina said. "What about you? Why just sleep last night?"

"We've never done it Gina, I wasn't looking for our first time to be make up sex. Honestly. I'm not into that. I don't even- I mean even the thought itself... It's just too soon."

"But you like him."

"Yes I like him. And he likes me. But we haven't been dating very long at all."

"How long did you date Kyle before you slept together?"

"We never slept together."

"What?!"

"That was the one thing I was adamant about." The one thing I wouldn't do. "No sex. I wasn't ready for it then and I'm not ready for it now."

"Are you a virgin?"

"Gina!"

"It's a serious question okay? You know how I feel about sex, I want to know about you."

Felicity didn't really want to talk about her sex life in such a public place talk but Gina wasn't giving her much of a choice. Like there was very much to tell anyway.

"I'm not a virgin." Felicity said. "I've just never really had good sex, and I figure if I find somebody that I think would be good, I might as well wait. Make it special, you know? Theres no reason to rush into anything."

"You know I can't really agree with that viewpoint."

"And I don't expect you to. I got cheated on because of it, and some people might look at it and think that if there were a reason to change that would be it. But honestly? I'm kind of glad Kyle cheated on me. It gave me an out. Otherwise I would be stuck in a relationship with a guy that doesn't love me. I'd rather be with Oliver who hasn't ever pressured me into doing something, and doesn't care if I want to wait."

"You said he was kind of a player though right?"

"He's been known for that yeah. And I mean, it's kind of stressful thinking about how many women he's been with before me, but... I can't think about that. The past has to stay in the past, otherwise we're not going to get anywhere."

"Well I guess I understand where your head's at, I'm just used to something so different."

"Yeah I don't think I could do what you do. It's just not my thing. My family would totally kill me anyway. They wanted me to be a doctor. An IT girl isn't exactly what they always dreamed I'd become."

"Well then you can tell them all about your nice new neighbor and they'll probably appreciate you a lot more. Seriously, you have my permission."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Sorry it took me so incredibly long, I've been so busy. Thank you to all my readers and followers and fans, its been a blast, but alas, the story must come to an end. I suck at endings so you're gonna have to let me know what you think, but this is the final chapter. If you're a fan of my writing or maybe just Olicity I do have some other stories that I'm working on so you can check those out! Hope you liked it!**

6 Months later

Felicity was getting ready to meet Oliver for their 6 month anniversary date. She was happily singing along to Guns N Roses, which was playing from her computer. She knew exactly what she wanted to wear. The dress she wore that first day they met. It wasn't super fancy or anything, just a flirty pink dress, but it was meaningful to her, even if he didn't remember to her, even if he didn't remember.

She did her best to class it up, pairing it with a silver shawl and black shoes and accessories. She didn't want to look like she was trying too hard, but they were going to the fanciest restaurant in town, she didn't want to look out of place.

Oliver promised he would be back to pick her up at 7:30. She didn't know where he had gone, but she didn't have time to worry about it. She was too worried about looking nice. She knew Oliver would say she looked beautiful, because he always did, but this was different. This was an important date. Not just pizza and a movie in her living room.

Oliver should be back any minute. Felicity was trying her best not to count the seconds on the clock, but she was excited, and it calmed her down to have something to dostract her like that.

After she had finally given up on predicting when he'd be back, there was a knock on the door. She straightened her dress with her hands, hoping her hair still looked as good as it did when she first did itas good as it did a minute ago, and opened the door.

Oliver was jaw-dropping handsome in his dark gray suit. Felicity almost didn't know what to say. And that was something that happened was something that happened very rarely . Oliver seemed to be just as speechless as her, looking at her with a huge smile on his face. He didn't look as nervous as her, though he seldom did. He was holding a bouquet of white and pink roses, her favorite.

"You look stunning." He said, pulling her in for a quick kiss before handing her the roses to put pin a vas before they left.e before they left.

"Thank you." She smiled. "You look very nice in your suit. And these roses are gorgeous."

He closed the door behind himself, waiting for her to be ready to go. There was still music playing from her bedroom. She had forgotten about it, though she did remember singing along. She had forgotten about it.

"Do I hear AC/DC?" He asked with a smile growing slowly across his face.

"Guilty pleasure." She shrugged, not bothering to defend herself. Gina had made the playlist for her, and it was the only thing she had listened to all week. "You should go turn it off before I forget again."

Things with Oliver had been steady for months now. They hadn't had another big fight since the one, only arguing about which movie to watch, and who should get to drive. Felicity had also also been more open with Oliver, telling him whatever he wanted to know, though never bringing it up herself. She still couldn't do it. If he wanted to know she had no problem telling him, it was just the the starting the conversation part that she was afraid of. She had never been one to share more than was necessary, and this wasn't going to be going to be an exception.

When they got seated at the restaurant Oliver promptly ordered what was probably one of the most expensive wines they had.

"Oliver you didn't have to do that. It's our 6 month anniversary, not 10 years." She said, trying to be mad at him.

"And I'll get it then too. It's your favorite, how could I not?"

It was her favorite. She didn't know when she had tried something so pricey, but ever since she's preferred it over any other wine. She was surprised Oliver even remembered she had said so.

"How did you know?" She asked. "I mean how did you remember? I said that months ago."

"I remember everything you say. And I did notice that you're wearing the same dress you did when we first met." He said with a smile. "You should be proud of me."

She smiled back at him, her eyes glancing around the room. It was a nice place. Everyone seated were couples, ranging from her age, to older than her parents. Everyone looked as as happy as she was. She supposed you can't go wrong with expensive food. But there was the one guy in the corner...

Felicity gasped when she realized who it was. "What's wrong?" Oliver asked immediately. "Felicity!"

"It's Kyle." She said slowly looking at him, fear in her eyes looking back at him, fear in her eyes. "He's here." Her stomach dropped. It was definitely him. His hair was darker, and shorter, but his eyes were the same. They stared at her with an intensity that would forever go unmatched.

"What?" Oliver was frantically looking around trying to find him. He had never seen him before, so he wouldn't be able to recognize him, but there was only one person in the room that was staring at them like that. "Him?"

Felicity nodded. "He sees us. Oh God, I'm going to puke."

"Hey, Felicity, look at me." He took her hand but she barely felt it. "We can handle this. You can handle this. Felicity... Maybe he won't even come over here."

"It doesn't matter though!" Felicity exclaimed, barely able to stay in her seat. Kyle hadn't moved yet, but his stare had grown colder once Oliver started to comfort her. "He knows where I am now! I tried so hard to run away... Oh, he's coming over here! Oliver, no, what are you- Oliver!"

Oliver looked like he was ready to pounce. Felicity just wanted to run. It wasn't really an option, but she didn't want to fight. Not here. Not tonight. When Kyle got closer Oliver stood up, blocking her view. The last thing she wanted to do was see Kyle, but she was worried about what Oliver would do. He was angry, angrier than she had ever seen him. He was unpredictable like that when he was like that. So was Kyle. It was a really really bad combination.

"Oliver, sit down." She begged, not even sounding like herself. Oliver didn't appear to be listening at all, focused only on the man in front of him. Oliver didn't appear to be listening at all, focused only on the man in front of him.

She shifted in her seat so she could see them better. Up close, Kyle looked different than she remembered him. Harder, colder. He looked permanently angry. It wasn't a good look for him, though she wasn't sure there was one.

Face to face she could see that Kyle was taller, but Oliver was more muscular. She could tell that Kyle was intimidated, but his cocky nature wouldn't let him back down. It never had. It was one of the things she liked about him before she realized he was also a crazy bastard. But Oliver wouldn't back down either. It should have made her feel better knowing that. But it didn't.

"Who are you?" Kyle asked through gritted teeth, his voice cold as ice. Or maybe colder. "And why are you with my girl?"

"She's not your girl anymore Kyle." Oliver said, his voice unlike the gentle one she was used to. She knew it wasn't the real Oliver, but she didn't like it. She didn't like that he could be so much like Kyle if he wanted to.

"She always has been, and she always will be." Kyle said, Oliver's words going straight through him, like he hadn't even heard them at all. He looked down at her, still frozen in her chair. He smiled at her, but it wasn't the smile she was used to with Oliver. It wasn't full of happiness. It almost looked... Hungry. Possessive. She didn't want to be anyone's possession, and certainly not Kyle's. "Right Felicity?" A shiver went down her spine as he spoke to her.

"You're a crazy son of a bitch, you know that?" She said, unsure where the boost of confidence had come from, but she was sure it wouldnt last.

He grabbed her by the chin, eliciting what sounded very similar to a growl from Oliver. She squirmed under his touch, trying to break free. "Don't talk to me like that." He sneered.

"Get your hands off of her!" Oliver shouted. That had officially grabbed the attention of every person in the restaurant, who wasn't already watching. They were quiet, waiting to see if it got bad enough that they should do something. Felicity wished they would. Things would only get worse.

Kyle smiled, that awful, evil grin of his, turning around slowly to face Oliver. He looked at him closely, staring him down as if he was trying to decide what to do. The room stood still. He was going to punch him. Felicity knew it. She knew that look. He had done it to her. But she was once again frozen in her seat, unable to get a word out.

When he finally did it the whole restaurant shouted. Oliver retaliated quickly, knocking Kyle into the table. A glass of wine fell over, splattering onto Felicity's legs, the glass shattering by her feet. The neat freak in her should have been worried, but she only cared about Oliver. When she looked back at the fight, he was bleeding in multiple places. But thankfully Kyle was in worse shape. The problem was, it wasn't going to stop him. He would fight until somebody was unconscious. Whether it was him or Oliver.

"Guys stop!" She pleaded. She never wanted them to fight over her, and it was getting bad. She just wanted Kyle to leave her, and Oliver, alone.

"Oliver!" She stood up, barely missing the fist that was aimed for Oliver's head. "Stop it!" She said, using what her sister always called her 'teacher voice'. They both stopped, though not immediately, and looked at her. "No more." Felicity was out of breath just from yelling. "Oliver, let's just go home."

"Just like that, you're going to let him ruin our date? You just want to walk away?" He asked.

"Its already ruined Oliver! Look at you! And yeah, I'm just going to walk away! It's what I do. You should know that about me by now. So are you coming or what?"

He looked at her, really looked at her. It was hard. His eye was starting to swell up, and all he could think about was how much everything hurt, but seeing Felicity look so hurt, so vulnerable, he knew he didn't have a choice but to go with her. He risked losing her forever if his ego couldn't just let this go. If she was okay with it, then he had to be too.

"Okay." He said. "Let's go home." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, mostly for support, but also for comfort.

"Wait a second!" Kyle shouted, causing everybody to turn back around. "This isn't over until I say it is."

"No Kyle." Felicity said. "It was over when I said it was. I don't know when you're going to wrap your head around this idea, but I'm not yours. Never again. Leave me alone." Oliver wasn't sure where her boost of confidence came from, but he liked it. She needed to stand up for herself. Especially now that he was exhausted.

Kyle was less than happy about her newfound guts. In fact, he was so mad, Oliver could have sworn there was actual smoke coming out of his ears.

Everything happened so fast, it seemed like slow motion. Even if he had expected it, there was nothing Oliver could have done to stop it.

He heard the smack of Kyle's hand hit Felicity's cheek harder than he imagined Kyle was capable of, especially after taking a beating like he just had.

Felicity was shocked. Her hand flying up to touch her already reddening face. There was a clear mark where his hand had hit. It triggered something in Oliver's head. He wanted to murder the guy for hurting his Felicity. But before he got the chance to do anything there were cops coming out of nowhere, arresting Kyle, and then there was somebody was pulling Oliver away.

He struggled, trying to get in at least another shot. "Oliver!" Felicity exclaimed, her voice broken up by tears. "Just stop. Please."

He had no choice. He couldn't say no to her. They both followed the policeman outside where they each told him what had happened.

Somebody brought them both ice packs for their face and told them to sit while they went back in to check in with other witnesses.

Oliver took Felicity's hand, though it was hard to bend his fingers, since he had hit Kyle until his knuckles started to bleed. "I'm sorry." He said. "I shouldn't have let him get to me like that. You probably never would have gotten hurt if I had handled it better."

Felicity put her head on his shoulder. "I hate that you fought him. Seriously, promise me you'll never do it again. But... I'm also glad you did it. Kyle would have pushed you into it no matter what you did, and... He would have still hit me. No matter what, he always finds a way. And I'm sorry you got hurt. I know you beat the crap out of him, but it wasn't an easy fight. Really, I guess I'm just glad you were there for me."

"Always."

After they were told to go home, Felicity insisted on driving. He told her he was fine, and that he could do it, and to prove her point she hit his shoulder and he instinctively winced. It really hurt. More than he thought it would. "Fine." He handed her the keys.

They were both silent the whole way home. It seemed like Felicity couldn't decide how to feel. He wanted her to be happy that she was free, and that Kyle was going to jail but at the same time he understood if she was upset. This was supposed to be a big night for them, and all of a sudden it's completely ruined by someone she never wanted to see again. That's a lot to process in one night.

When they returned home Felicity gave him no option but to sit down in the bathroom while she cleaned him up.

"Take your shirt off." She said.

"Felicity-"

"Relax." She said. "I just want to see how bad you're hurt."

"I'm fine."

"Off." He groaned. No way was he going to be able to handle having her hands on him, bruised or not.

But he did as she asked, dropping his jacket, shirt, and tie into a nice pile on the floor. "You know I pictured a lot of different ways this night could go, and having you ask me to take my clothes off was one of them, but it wasn't like this."

She gave him a small smile, the outline of Kyle's hand still visible on her cheek. "I know." She said softly looking him over. "It's not exactly what I had in mind either. This is my life though." She looked him in the eyes. "This is what you signed up for."

"Don't say that like you expect me to change my mind." He said, his breath catching as she pressed a cold towel against his stomach. "Felicity you know how I feel about you. All this, it's nothing. I'd do it all over again if I had to."

"But you don't."

"Yes I do. That's what love is Felicity. Carrying someone else's weight. Not because you have to, but because you want to."

She stared at him, like she was angry. "But love isn't supposed to be one sided Oliver. You're not supposed to help me with all my crap, on top of your own. You had a life before me Oliver-"

"Yeah I did, and you know what? It was shit. Everything was shit until I met you. Felicity, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know what else I have to do to convince you. I have things in my past, just like you, that I'm not proud of. Sure, maybe I don't have a psycho ex-girlfriend, but Laurel's debatable... The truth is Felicity, I don't struggle anymore. And you know why? You. Any problems I ever had, you fixed them, just by being here. I just want that to be enough for you. I want to be enough for you."

"Oliver you are. You are enough. But you see now why I'm so scared. Watching you and Kyle go at it was... Scary. If you can do that to him then-"

"Felicity I would never hurt you." He said softly, forcing her down onto his lap, pushing the hair away from her face so he could see her better. "Never." His fingers delicately touched her cheek, where Kyle had. She stiffened. He laid his hand over the mark, softly caressing it with his thumb. She grabbed his wrist, like to pull his hand away. Except she didn't.

Her eyes closed as she loosened up. When she opened her eyes again her expression had changed. She put her hands on his shoulders, softly tracing the bruises with her fingertips. It was torture.

Then she kissed him, carefully as if she either didn't want to hurt him, or if she was unsure what she was doing. He hoped it wasn't the latter, but either way she was pushing his buttons, and the sensible side of him had no control over what would happen if she kept going.

"I trust you." She said slowly, tracing circles on his collarbone. She had all the power here, and she knew it. "Now let's get you all cleaned up."

"Felicity-"

"Don't 'Felicity' me Oliver. I know what I'm doing."

"You're such a tease."

She smiled. "You like it though."

"Of course I do. I like everything about you."

She smiled. "I know." She was quiet as she bandaged him up. She was a good nurse, though he knew if he told her that she would stop.

While she cleaned herself up he poured 2 glasses of wine and set them outside on the balcony. He had bought her a gift, which he set out there as well, waiting.

"What's all this?" She asked. She was still gorgeous, even in her silk robe, her hair wet and tied up on top of her head, her makeup washed away, her contacts replaced with black rimmed glasses.

"Well I didn't think the night should be over quite yet." He smiled. "Come here, I've got something for you."

"Oliver you don't have to-"

"Come on. Open it."

She hesitantly took the little box from his hand. He didn't know what she was scared of. It was a gift. He wanted her to have it.

She unwrapped it carefully, pulling the metallic silver paper off and setting it on the balcony railing.

It was a little white box, inside of it a necklace with a long silver chain, on the end of it a small diamond rose.

"Oliver-"

He turned her around, fastening it around her neck. "It was my mother's." He said. "My father gave it to her for their 10 year anniversary."

"I couldn't-"

"Shh." He said "It's yours Felicity."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you."

He grinned. "I love you too."


End file.
